The upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will mark the first time in nearly 30 years that there will not be a video game released alongside the Olympic Games. Since 1992, various companies have acquired licenses from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to create video games related to the Olympics, with Sega’s main series, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, being the prominent one with a total of 4 editions released for the Summer Olympics in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 (as well as games for the Winter Olympics).
Furthermore, during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Sega released another Olympic game in a realistic style (without Mario & Sonic characters) called Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game, in addition to their main series.
However, Sega has decided not to release any games for the 2024 Olympics, as reported by Eurogamer citing sources close to the series, revealing that the IOC has chosen not to renew their license with Sega. They are seeking other partners in the NFT and eSports sectors willing to pay higher licensing fees.
Despite this, the IOC’s plan may not yield the desired results, as this Olympics will only have one official game called Olympics Go! Paris 2024, a mobile game from nWay that focuses on playing and collecting rewards as NFTs. It remains to be seen how successful this new approach will be.
Source: Eurogamer, VGC
TLDR: The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will have no official video game released, with Sega losing its licensing deal for Olympic games, as the IOC aims to partner with NFT and eSports companies. Only one official mobile game, Olympics Go! Paris 2024, will be available, focusing on NFT rewards.
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