As a longtime gamer with memories of countless sleepless nights spent chasing Olympic dreams as Mario and Sonic, I must confess, my heart is heavy with sorrow. The news of the discontinuation of our cherished series leaves me feeling like the final buzzer has sounded on a beloved era in gaming history.
Sorry to say it, but it seems like Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games didn’t make a comeback in Paris this time. That’s too bad, as the drag queen who kicked off the ceremonies looked like she was just a couple of spiky hats away from an incredible speed-cosplay!
The International Olympic Committee has not renewed the licenses for these games due to financial reasons, which we have now learned are the cause. In other words, financial matters (or money) were behind this decision.
As stated by Lee Cocker, a key contributor to the entire series, during an interview with Eurogamer, he shared this information.
“The IOC aimed to scrutinize potential partners in areas such as other partners, NFTs, and esports. Essentially, their goal was to re-evaluate these partnerships internally with the aim of securing greater financial benefits.”
It’s becoming clearer why the IOC is considering esports, and it’s not just a fad among youngsters. Instead, it boils down to one thing: Financial gain. In fact, last week marked the launch of the Olympic Esports Series. However, NFTs? Apparently, that’s where their focus has shifted.
Absolutely. The digital pins featuring the Olympic mascot, Phryge, seem like an odd choice. Instead of engaging with two iconic gaming characters, you opt for a red bird pin that cannot be physically attached anywhere. Moreover, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) were considered outdated in 2022; by 2024, they’ve simply become an embarrassment.
Let me present a different perspective for a moment, considering that the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series has been following a pattern similar to FIFA/EA Sports Football in terms of each new release being quite similar to its predecessor.
As a passionate gamer, I can’t help but notice the declining sales of these annual gaming releases over the years. For instance, the game launched in 2008 managed to sell an impressive 13 million copies, while the one from 2010 saw a dip with only 7 million units sold. The following edition in 2012 had a significant drop, selling around 3.5 million. Fast-forwarding to the 2020 version, it seems that less than a million copies were sold… Now, this trend makes me wonder if the International Olympic Committee didn’t find enough value in continuing our partnership. Frankly, I’m taken aback by the decision they made instead.
It’s a real shame because I always thought they were fun, family friendly games. George, Louka and Robert played it on our Twitch channel a couple of days ago and I’m not gonna lie; I was a little insulted that they didn’t invite me.
It turned out that they weren’t actually running a game on the Wii, as the speed of movement in the game was achieved by rapidly waving the Wiimote, which led to developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
Well, it seems I’ve learned a lesson the hard way – resting on past victories can lead to unexpected setbacks. I can’t help but miss the good old days when console games were as close as we could get to the Olympics. Ah, those times! If anyone remembers them, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
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2024-08-02 12:13