Former SEGA Staff Reveals Nintendo Asked Mario Artwork to Step Ahead of Sonic
It has been a full 12 years of collaboration between SEGA and Nintendo that brought two iconic franchises together in the long running Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series. From the Nintendo DS era all the way to Nintendo Switch, the crossover series spanned multiple console generations before concluding with the 2020 entry, which stood out for its retro pixel art mode. Recently, an interesting piece of behind the scenes trivia has surfaced, shared by Ryoichi Hasegawa, a former producer from SEGA.
Ryoichi revealed in an online interview with the Arcade Attack Retro Gaming Network that Nintendo once raised concerns about certain pieces of promotional artwork during development. According to him, Nintendo was not satisfied after noticing that in a running scene featuring Mario and Sonic, Mario’s posture made him appear slower, with Sonic positioned slightly ahead. At that point, the artwork had already been prepared for use on the game box and in the instruction manuals.
Upon seeing this, Nintendo reportedly requested SEGA to make immediate corrections. Ryoichi admitted that the situation left a strong impression on him, as he felt genuinely nervous at the time. He recalled that the artwork had to be changed quickly, because failing to do so could have risked the entire collaboration being canceled. In the end, the issue was resolved smoothly, and the revised artwork was approved without further complications.
While the incident itself may not sound like a major problem, it highlights an important detail about the series. Even though Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a crossover featuring both Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog characters, the title itself places Mario first. This reinforces the idea that Mario is the primary face of the franchise, even though SEGA handled the full production of the games.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games first launched in 2007 to coincide with the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Wii and Nintendo DS. Since then, the series has received a total of six main entries covering both Summer and Winter Olympic events. Each game allows characters from both franchises to compete in various Olympic sports, with a standout feature being the Dream Events mode, which reimagines sports with creative themes inspired by the worlds of Mario and Sonic.
