Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" in English language version.
Scott Steinberg: It's the perfect backdrop, since Olympics being synonymous with the spirit of sportsmanship. It's a great context for Mario and Sonic to come together in their first game. So it couldn't have been written in a better script.
As for the actual pairing of the two franchises, Mario & Sonic does a decent job of bringing the mascots together for the first time.
The [Smilebit] team was transformed into SEGA Sports R&D Department (makers of Mario & Sonic Prove the Olympics are Obsolete) with some members moving to Amusement Vision (creators of the Yakuza series) [...]
The game itself is being built as a collaboration between Sega and Nintendo. It's being built predominantly by Sega's sports team, rather than Sonic Team. [Note: We asked Sega PR whether the company's AM2 studio was making the game. The answer was no, that it's a separate team that they aren't currently identifying.]
Shinji Hatano: As characters from our Super Mario titles will show up in the game, we are joining forces with Sega in development. By doing so, we are also collaborating with other companies to maintain the level of quality.
Video game publisher Sega has sold 5 million copies of "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games", topping its expectations...
As for the actual pairing of the two franchises, Mario & Sonic does a decent job of bringing the mascots together for the first time.
Scott Steinberg: It's the perfect backdrop, since Olympics being synonymous with the spirit of sportsmanship. It's a great context for Mario and Sonic to come together in their first game. So it couldn't have been written in a better script.
Shinji Hatano: As characters from our Super Mario titles will show up in the game, we are joining forces with Sega in development. By doing so, we are also collaborating with other companies to maintain the level of quality.
The [Smilebit] team was transformed into SEGA Sports R&D Department (makers of Mario & Sonic Prove the Olympics are Obsolete) with some members moving to Amusement Vision (creators of the Yakuza series) [...]
The game itself is being built as a collaboration between Sega and Nintendo. It's being built predominantly by Sega's sports team, rather than Sonic Team. [Note: We asked Sega PR whether the company's AM2 studio was making the game. The answer was no, that it's a separate team that they aren't currently identifying.]
Video game publisher Sega has sold 5 million copies of "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games", topping its expectations...
A. Fitch: We've waited over 15 years for Sonic and Mario to team up, and we finally get it...in a Wii Sports-inspired competition based on the Beijing Olympics?! But despite its rather disturbing premise—the portly plumber and friends can represent despotic regimes like Iran and Saudi Arabia... Shoe: The controls aren't complicated on their own; they're just complicated for this type of gaming experience. Some events have 11 pages of instructions! That's too much reading and learning in what should be a pure pick-up-and-play party game.
