Nintendo's Request: Mario Must Lead Sonic in Official Art

A former SEGA producer has revealed that Nintendo made a specific creative request during the development of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, asking that Mario always be positioned ahead of Sonic in official artwork. Ryoichi Hasegawa, who previously worked as a producer at SEGA, shared the details while reflecting on the collaboration between the two companies. The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series marked the first time the two long-standing mascots appeared together in a shared title, following decades in which they were widely regarded as rivals. According to Hasegawa, Nintendo closely reviewed the visual presentation of the game’s promotional materials. He said the issue arose with artwork showing Mario, Sonic, and other characters standing on a field. These images were intended for use across multiple materials, including packaging, instruction manuals, cover art, and cartridge labels. Hasegawa explained that one version of the artwork showed Sonic’s foot positioned in front of Mario’s. He said Nintendo objected to this detail and required SEGA to revise the image before moving forward with the agreement. “There was artwork of Mario and Sonic and other characters standing on the field, and those artworks were used for the package, instruction manual, cover, the cartridge label, and things like that,” Hasegawa said in an interview with Arcade Attack Retro Gaming Network. “There was one small error, and Sonic’s foot was in front of Mario’s foot, and Nintendo demanded that we change the priority. I still remember that. We were like ‘Oh my God, we have to change it or there will be no deal.’” The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series went on to receive several entries over the years, appearing alongside multiple Olympic events. Hasegawa also noted that at one stage, the 2020 instalment had been planned as a broader crossover that would have included characters from franchises such as Zelda and Dragon Ball, though those plans did not materialise.