It seems that the long-standing partnership between Nintendo, SEGA, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series has come to an end. Despite almost two decades of successful collaborations, it has been reported that the IOC has decided not to renew the partnership with both franchises.

Lee Cocker, a developer and producer involved in the licensing of the Mario & Sonic Olympic video games, shared insights into this decision with Eurogamer. According to Cocker, the IOC is looking to explore new partnerships and opportunities in the NFT and esports space to make new revenue streams.

“They wanted to look at other partners and NFTs and esports. Basically the IOC wanted to bring [it] back to themselves internally and look at other partners so they would get more money”.

Since 2007, six titles in the Mario & Sonic Olympic Games series have been released, spanning various Olympic Games editions as well as the Winter Olympic Games. Although the series has been successful, it appears that the IOC has decided to pursue other avenues for future partnerships.

The decision to move away from the Mario & Sonic series in favour of NFTs and esports ventures may seem surprising, especially considering the declining interest in NFTs in recent years. Despite this, the IOC has released official Olympics Games Paris 2024 NFTs in partnership with nWay, as well as an official Olympics mobile game called Olympics Go! Paris 2024.

While the future of the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series remains uncertain, it’s possible that with enough demand, both series could make a comeback in the future.

Watch the video below of the last collaboration between the two companies and the IOC.