The year 2020 was definitely a memorable one, but for all the wrong reasons. A game released before 2020, but the theme was for the year. That game was Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The Olympics were held in Tokyo that year, and this game pre-empted its release. It was a fun game despite the COVID situation of the year. The game has been delisted from the Nintendo eShop all of the sudden.
Why was the game delisted?
Neither Nintendo nor SEGA has officially made a statement about it. The game just got removed from the E-Shop. However, if you can get a copy or own a copy of the game, you can still play it. It doesn’t have the online modes, but it can still pass off as a couch game to be played with multiple players.
One potential reason is that Nintendo may have lost the license to make Olympic-themed games. There’s some speculation that the IOC gave the license to another company called nWay. Nothing is confirmed other than the fact that the game is gone on the digital front.
A brief history of the Mario and Sonic Olympic games
Even before releasing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there have been numerous Sonic and Mario Olympic games. They were all released for previous Nintendo systems like the DS, Wii, Wii U, and 3DS.
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Beijing 2008)
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Vancouver 2010)
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
- Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
- Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
What is the 2020 game all about?
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a crossover sports game released in 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. It brings together characters from Nintendo’s Mario series and Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog series to compete in Olympic-themed events based on the real-world Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The game is part of a long-running collaboration between Nintendo and Sega, and it serves as the sixth main entry in the series.
Gameplay
At its core, the game is a collection of sports mini-games inspired by Olympic events. Players can choose from a large roster of characters—like Mario, Sonic, Luigi, and Tails—and compete in events such as swimming, gymnastics, soccer, and track races. It also introduces newer Olympic sports like skateboarding, surfing, karate, and sport climbing.
The game supports multiple play styles, including motion controls using Joy-Con controllers, traditional button controls, local multiplayer, and online play. This makes it accessible both as a casual party game and a competitive experience.
The game includes over 30 events split into three types: standard Olympic events, “Dream” events (which add fantasy elements from the Mario and Sonic universes), and retro-style events.
There are also 30-plus playable characters, though some are “guest” characters limited to specific events and unlocked through progression in the story mode.
