Imagine Snake Hurdling: 'Mario & Sonic' Almost Became a Crossover Kaiju Battle
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
A producer on *Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020* revealed that the game almost featured a massive roster of crossover characters including *Dragon Ball*, *Metal Gear Solid*, and *Pokémon*. Legal issues ultimately kept the crossover from happening but maybe this could be revisited in the future.
Right, so apparently, we almost lived in a world where Solid Snake was swapping blows with Goku at the digital Olympics. Let that sink in for a moment. According to Game Rant, Lee Cocker, a producer on *Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020*, dropped a bombshell: the game *almost* included characters from *Dragon Ball*, *Metal Gear Solid*, *Pokémon*, *Mega Man*, *Zelda*, and even *Street Fighter*. Bloody hell, that's a roster that could give Smash Bros. a run for its money!
Cocker mentioned on Twitter that "Lots of the deals / agreements couldn’t be agreed, which was a shame, so it went back to just being Mario and Sonic.” Which, let's be honest, is a bit of a letdown. I mean, can you imagine Pikachu pole-vaulting? Or Link chucking a javelin with the Hylian shield strapped to his back? The possibilities are truly mind-boggling.
The *Mario & Sonic* series, bless its heart, has always been a bit…safe. It's the gaming equivalent of a corporate handshake – polite, but hardly setting the world on fire. But the idea of throwing in characters with such wildly different styles and abilities? That's where things get interesting.
Imagine Ryu doing the 100m dash against Sonic. Or, even better, imagining how Konami might have tried to shoehorn in some microtransactions with 'Snake's Tactical Advantage' power-ups. (Okay, maybe I'm *slightly* glad that didn't happen.)
It sounds like Nintendo and Sega's ambitions were high, but the legal and logistical hurdles proved too much. Cocker confirmed the series is dead as of 2024. It's a crying shame, really, because even though *Mario & Sonic* has always been a bit…middle-of-the-road, the idea of a gaming crossover of truly epic proportions is something worth dreaming about.
Maybe with the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, Nintendo and Sega could dust off these old ideas and give us the bonkers crossover game we deserve. A *Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds* cross over with *Mario Kart* would be a welcomed start. One can only hope, eh?
Tags: Mario & Sonic, Crossover Games, Nintendo, Sega, Gaming History
Original article: Game Rant