Rumor: New Sonic Olympics Game Could Be in the Works Without Mario

There is a possibility that Sega will be making a new Olympics themed-title utilizing the Sonic the Hedgehog IP. Sonic and Mario have been duking it out in friendly competitions at the Olympics since 2008. While many wished that a crossover title with Mario and Sonic was a platforming adventure, others still enjoy what the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series has brought in terms of music, special Mario or Sonic themed Olympic events, and the crossover interactions in story modes.

The last few entries of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games have been Nintendo-console exclusives, starting from the Wii all the way to the Switch. The last entry in this series was Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which received average reviews. It also became unintentionally dated due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the Olympics to be delayed. Regardless, it seems like a new title based on the Olympics is being developed, just utilizing the Sonic brand this time around.

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This stems from a recent Japanese job listing on Sega’s website, where it is searching for a programmer with experience to work with Unreal Engine 4, with the position being “high-level” according to a rough translation. The website also describes it being “assumed” for the Sonic the Hedgehog series, while linking the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 game that Sega worked on before. It also states that elements of online multiplayer are included, with the game targeting a release on at least the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and other “higher” platforms.

This isn’t the first time that the Sonic series has had an Olympic tie-in without the Mario branding. The aforementioned Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game released in 2019 had a Sonic-crossover costume, which allowed players to dress up as the mascot to participate in a variety of Olympic sports. The Sonic series even had its own standalone Olympics-themed game known as Sonic at the Olympic Games, which had a story mode and a cast of sixteen Sonic characters participating in a variety of events.

It’s possible that this new game could be an iteration of this title, where it’s brought onto home consoles instead of being exclusive to a mobile device. It’s also likely that without the game being tied to the Mario branding, the games will also have a chance to be released on other systems as well. It’s also possibly part of Sega’s plans for 2023, where Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka stated they had a lot more planned for the iconic mascot this year. For the time being, fans will wait until more information about this possible Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off game is revealed.

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Source: Sega (via My Nintendo News)