Mario and Sonic Absent from 2024 Paris Olympics: A Nostalgic Gap in Gaming History
Boris Naltin
28 Jul 2024
ith the Paris Olympics starting, an interesting twist in history unfolds as it becomes the first Olympic event in 16 years without a new version of the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series.
The inception of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games dates back to 2007, launched on the Wii. During that time, it was quite unusual to see a collaboration between Nintendo and Sega. The game hit the shelves a year before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Since then, new editions of the game were consistently released ahead of every Olympic event, featuring tie-ins with Vancouver 2010, London 2012, Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020. This amounted to a total of six games over a span of almost two decades. However, 2023 did not see a new installment preceding the Paris Olympics, and with the opening ceremony now in the past, it seems clear that there is no hidden project from Nintendo and Sega this year.
An official Olympics game does exist for this year: Olympics GO! Paris 2024, available on Android, iOS, and the Epic Games Store. Despite reservations about a mobile-first title, the developer nWay has established credibility with their work on the well-received Power Rangers fighting game Battle for the Grid.
Yet, for many, the charm of seeing Mario and Sonic in Olympic competition is hard to replace. The image of Wario and Dr. Eggman competing under the Eiffel Tower is a nostalgic longing for many fans. It appears that the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series may not continue, though there's always hope for a revival by the time Milano Cortina 2026 arrives.
In the interim, fans can revisit and enjoy the finest Mario and Sonic games ever released.