BREAKING: Sonic and Mario go olympic on Wii

The old rivals Mario and Sonic will appear in their first videogame together, entitled ´Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games´. The press release reads:

Developed for the Wii (TM) video game system and the Nintendo DS (TM) system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two renowned stars have appeared together in a game.

Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and published by Nintendo in the Japanese market, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be available for Christmas 2007 and is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).




In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, players will compete in events that take place in environments based on the official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Using a supporting cast of characters from the amazing worlds of both Mario and Sonic, gamers will be able to compete as or against a range of lovable personalities including Mario, Sonic, Luigi (TM), Knuckles (TM), Yoshi®, Tails (TM) and more. Innovative usage of the Wii and DS control systems to maneuver a favourite character will allow players to race the likes of Mario and Sonic down the 100m track, engage in exhilarating rallies in table tennis and churn water in a swimming heat, all while competing for the much sought after gold medal.

In late 2005, SEGA acquired the rights to games based on the 2008 Olympics.


I have known about this announcement for a few days now - and this is set to become a huge exclusive for both Wii and DS. More info and media as it becomes available.

EDIT SEGA of America has included a quote by Shigeru Miyamoto:

“Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games,” says Shigeru Miyamoto, Senior Managing Director and General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd.. “In fact, for a long time they have been discussing the possibility of one day competing against each other. Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or Sonic?”

EDIT It looks as if this title will be online. The good people over at GameOn Revolution have picked up on a comment by IGN´s Matt Casamassina on his blog.

I think some of you were expecting a Mario and Sonic platformer of some sort, but really, this title makes much more sense to me. It is, when you break it down, Wii Sports + Olympics + Mario + Sonic + online. What the hell is not to like about that?

Finally, Next-Gen has received word that the game, while being developed by Sega Sports Team, is under direct and intense supervision of Miyamoto and his team.

Sources: SEGA of Europe, SEGA of America