New Sonic Job Listing Hints at Big Change for Mario Crossover Series

Since 2007, Sega has been developing Olympic games starring both Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario, as well as their respective supporting casts. The games have performed quite well over the years, so it should come as no surprise that Sega appears to be working on a new entry in the series. The company has posted a job listing in Japan that seems to be for a game starring Sonic, with ties to the Olympics, and an online mode. The company is looking for someone with experience working on a number of different platforms, including Nintendo Switch, but also PlayStation and Xbox.

That last detail is actually pretty interesting. For the 2020 Olympic Games, Sega released three separate video games: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020, Olympic Games 2020 – The Official Video Game, and Sonic at the Olympic Games. The Mario & Sonic game was exclusive to Nintendo Switch and arcades, while Olympic Games 2020 appeared on multiple platforms. Last but not least, the Olympic game exclusively starring Sonic characters appeared on mobile. Given the wording of the job listing, it's possible that Sega is making a big change to its Olympic video games for 2024, ditching the Mario cast in favor of a multi-platform release exclusively starring the Sonic cast. Hopefully Sega will shed some light on this sooner, rather than later!

When Sonic debuted in 1991, the character was positioned as Sega's answer to Mario. At the time, Nintendo and Sega were bitter rivals, and Sonic helped the Genesis console become much more competitive with the Super Nintendo. The rivalry came to an end when Sega abandoned new hardware development, opting instead to release games on multiple platforms. Sonic began appearing in games on Nintendo systems starting back in 2002, and would go on to star in games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as well as the Mario & Sonic games. The rivalry between Mario and Sonic has taken on a more official form as a result of these games, but things are a lot friendlier than they used to be!

Are you a fan of the Mario & Sonic series? Do you think Sega is planning to consolidate its Olympic games? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: My Nintendo News]

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