When Mario Met Sonic at the Olympic Games

Like any industry, the gaming landscape changes every few years. What was once the status quo transforms into something different and creates a new normal. Revolutionary ideas suddenly became fads past their time. Even the big companies go through some big changes in the way they operate. Back in the 80s, Nintendo was the undefeated savior of the video game industry while SEGA limped behind in an attempt to just stay in business. 

The change of a decade also brought a change to the competition between the two companies. As Nintendo ruled the scene with Super Mario, SEGA introduced their own mascot to compete, resulting in Sonic the Hedgehog. From that point forward, the two companies were at each other’s throats and wouldn’t hesitate to throw shades at the competition. If you were to tell anyone familiar with video games during the 90’s that Nintendo and SEGA would work together, they’d look at you as if you were a turtle-fighting plumber or a super-fast hedgehog while questioning your sanity.

But as I said earlier, time can alter anything. As the decade changed again, SEGA found itself out of the console business and became a 3rd party publisher. This resulted in many of their franchises seeing new releases on other platforms, which of course included Sonic appearing on a Nintendo console, an unimaginable scenario back when the rivalry between the two companies was at an all-time high. It's fair to say, however, that having the two popular mascots feature together in a game set at the Olympics really wasn’t on anyone’s weird bingo card.

Significant but confusing

The year is 2007. The PS3 is still struggling to find its legs; the Xbox360 loses some of its steam; the Wii is riding high on its new motion gimmick, and SEGA was trying to handle the shame and ridicule caused to them by 2006’s Sonic The Hedgehog (aka, Sonic 06). It was during this time that out of nowhere, it was announced Mario and Sonic would star in a game together for the first time. As someone who grew up with this rivalry in mind, the day of this announcement was one to remember.

Does anyone recall when Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny appeared together in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and it was one of the most mind-blowing things ever put to screen? That’s basically the impact of having Mario and Sonic in a game together had on people; something you never thought you’d live to see. Two big rivals who defined generations coming together for a big gaming event. Plumber and Hedgehog were to meet at last… at the Olympics… wait, what!?

I may have mentioned that the day the first Mario and Sonic game was announced is one to remember for its novelty alone, and I stand by that. However, once the hype of seeing the two former rivals in a game together died down, people started asking questions. Those ranged from cynical takes like “How could Mario even keep up with Sonic’s speed?” to the analytical “Is this a Nintendo game or a SEGA game?” and the glaring one of all… “Why the Olympics of all things?”

The official answer might be that SEGA had the right to make games based on the Olympics, and with the Wii being so successful thanks to its motion controls, they figured using the varied cast of Sonic characters would help gain young audiences. Once that idea was in stone, SEGA also thought about asking Nintendo for permission to use Mario and his cast of friends and family members to really make it a game to remember. Nintendo not only agreed but was also involved with development in a quality control capacity. Truly, a very cool tale.

But let’s not ignore the elephant in the arena; the idea of having Mario and Sonic finally meet during the Olympics of all things was jarring, to say the least. The two franchises are mainly platformers. It's true that both have dabbled in racing and other sports throughout their careers, but when push comes to shove, most people would have expected Mario and Sonic to team up in a platforming game where elements of both franchises would come together. The idea was novel, yet the particulars of the implementation seemed like an odd way to go about it.

Does anyone recall when Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny appeared together in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and it was one of the most mind-blowing things ever put to screen?

General overview

While the idea seems weird on paper, no one can deny that this team-up attracts people. The game, officially called Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (in this case, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing) might have been nothing more than a collection of simple mini-games once it actually hit store shelves, but the names on the box did their job when it came to pushing units off the shelves. All the sequels happened for a reason, after all. 

Were the games actually good? Well, they were fine for what they were, I suppose. There wasn’t anything super deep, complex, or even challenging about any of them, but whoever said they needed to be that? They were simple and to-the-point mini-game compilations themed around the Olympics which provided the fun one would expect in a mini-game compilation that featured multiplayer.

I haven't played all the games in this sub-series, but from what I did play, they were either "bland and harmless" at worst or "incredibly okay but nothing special" at best. The latest game I personally had experience with was the 2012 London Olympics version. After that, I figured I had the jist and moved on from the series. I’m not much of a sports fan in general, so besides the marquee value, there was never much there for my personal tastes.

That’s not to say I don’t have fond memories of the franchise, though. As simple as the mini-games themselves were, there were some highlights. The dream events in each game where the familiar sport is transformed to be more unique and less realistic were always a fun addition. I enjoy the fact that the handheld versions included some sort of a story mode which is just as ridiculous and silly as you’d expect. Some of the remixes offered are a joy to the ears and their inclusion in the events themselves is well thought out. I’ll be honest, there's something about the obscurity of the concept which is just funny to me.

If you had told me that I’d live to see Sonic the Hedgehog ride a horse, I wouldn’t have believed you and yet, it happened in these games. Not to mention Yoshi, who serves as Mario’s loyal steed in many of his adventures, riding a horse. How could one not find it hilarious? The mixed emotions of laughter and dread, when I saw Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic’s edgy counterpart, skiing around with a legit happy smile on his face, will never leave me. Seeing Wario perform gymnastics with so much grace and ease is a trip, to say the least. And on top of it all, it is entertaining and pretty cool to see characters from both series interact.

The obscurity of seeing these characters competing in these events is undeniably entertaining, especially if you’re into dumb and nonsensical shenanigans like I am. However, once the novelty of a Mario and Sonic crossover dies down, there isn’t much else to keep you coming back for more. There was certainly enough interest to keep this franchise going for over 10 years, and I doubt it was only kept alive for the idea and nothing else. People did come back every few years whenever a new entry was made available, so maybe some people did see these games as more than simple cash grabs.

As simple as the mini-games themselves were, there were some highlights.

It all ends

In case you haven’t noticed, the 2024 Paris Olympics just ended. Among all the festivities and sports and pride when your country gets a medal, not many noticed that a new Mario and Sonic game wasn’t on the shelves waiting to be sold to the masses. That’s because there were no plans to release one. While the two mascots have missed some of the Winter Olympics, the regular Summer Olympics entries were always around to keep the train going and suddenly, not one mention of them joining together again was brought up.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, it was reported the series had been canceled due to the expiration of SEGA's license for the Olympics. Instead of renewing the deal though, the International Olympic Committee decided instead to pursue NFTs and mobile games. Opinions on such products aside, that change was received with shock by most people familiar with the games.

While my own opinions on the sub-series are also mixed, I still felt a bit sad knowing these games are officially done. True, I didn’t go out of my way to play all the games. Yes, I found them lackluster once the hype of Mario and Sonic being in a game together died down. But weirdly, it felt like something was taken away from the world. I believe being so used to these games existing on a consistent schedule makes it odd to suddenly hear they won’t ever come back.

This cancellation, however, suddenly made me realize it was the right decision.

While my own opinions on the sub-series are also mixed, I still felt a bit sad knowing these games are officially done.

The right choice

What are the Olympic Games? It’s the leading worldwide sports tournament, yes, but it’s also about unity. It’s an opportunity for athletes from all over the world to meet each other and compete in a big tournament where they represent their countries proudly. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what sport you’re an expert in, the main hook of the Olympics is that feeling of unity and how all the countries come together to participate in those events.

You may remember how earlier in this article I talked about the underwhelming nature of Mario and Sonic getting to cross paths with each other in a tie into the Olympics rather than a platformer. But looking at it in retrospect, it made perfect sense for this to be their first official meeting. If the Olympics are about unity then why not have gaming’s biggest rivals compete against each other in the biggest event in the world? It may not be what everyone would want and expect, true, but it makes more sense now than it did back then.

I brought up how big of a deal it was for these two characters to be in a game together. Somehow this big deal turned into an effort no one really appreciated all the way through. Now it’s gone as if it never existed. Mario and Sonic did get to throw fists with each other in Super Smash Bros. but that game has a lot more characters and franchises represented to the point it’s not just about them joining together. And somehow knowing we’ll never see the plumber and hedgehog crossing paths again feels bittersweet.

An idea that seemed impossible became real for a good few years. We were excited about it at first before we just became impartial to it. Suddenly it was taken away from us and now all we have are memories of when Mario and Sonic got into pranks while being interviewed on the field, got into trouble at the airport while heading to the competition, and even got to witness a royal wedding (the commercials for these games were wild). Will we ever see them together again? Right now we don’t know.

I’m not expecting them to reunite for Eurovision or an actual platformer anytime soon. But no one ever believed Mario and Sonic would be in a game together, and yet it happened. Maybe one day we’ll get to see them reunite on some weird occasion. As we wait for whatever that may be however, I’d thank them for the memories they both provided and look forward to their upcoming solo outings.

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