Mario & Sonic heading to London Olympics

Iconic duo Mario and Sonic will join forces for an officially licensed title based on next year’s London Olympics.

Called Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, it’s due out on both the Wii and 3DS though the release date won’t be announced until later this year. It’s being developed by Sega Japan and will be published by Sega Europe.

It is licensed through the International Olympic Committee’s interactive entertainment licensee International Sports Multimedia (ISM).

To date the series, which has already enjoyed two previous releases, has sold in excess of 19m copies.

Events set for inclusion in the new game the first time include football, equestrian, athletics, aquatics and table tennis. There’s also a number of ‘Dream Events’ that will take places in the popular worlds of the Nintendo and Sega mascots.

Mario and Sonic have had a phenomenally successful partnership and we are extremely proud to be able to recreate this once again with Nintendo and ISM for the London 2012 Olympic Games” Sega’s American and European chairman Naoya Tsurumi stated.

It is truly exciting to be in the position to develop interactive entertainment software titles based on the Olympic Games, and for Sonic and Mario to once again be a part of this historic event.”

Nintendo’s American president Reggie Fils-Aime added: "These games bring together two of the most beloved characters in the history of the video game industry in Mario and Sonic.

"As veterans of both video games and Olympic games, they’ll arrive in London as a formidable team to provide fun, competitive sporting activities that friends and family members can enjoy together."