If you're a fan of both video games and the Olympics, you may have noticed that two longtime rivals, Mario and Sonic, did not show up at the Stade de France in Paris this year. Olympic Games since "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" in 2008, the two most recognizable mascots in the gaming world have fronted the tie-in games at every Summer Olympic Games. However, at this year's Paris Games, these two have not been a prominent presence.

Are they lost in their recent fame in the film industry? No. In fact, the decision not to release an Olympic tie-in game this year came from the International Olympic Committee, not from Sega or Nintendo's side.

The revelation came from Lee Cocker, who worked as an executive producer at ISM Ltd, the sports marketing and digital media company responsible for managing Olympic video game licenses. In this position, Cocker worked on almost all of the "Mario & Sonic" series.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Cocker explained that IOC chose not to renew the licensing agreement between Nintendo and Sega, effectively ending the franchise when the agreement expired in 2020. 'We wanted to look not only at esports, but also at other partners and NFTs,' Cocker told Eurogamer. 'Basically, the IOC wanted to bring [the franchise] back in-house and look at other partners to get more money.'

So what exactly is the IOC doing in Mario and Sonic's absence? For starters, it is worth noting that the Paris Olympics have an official video game with a free-to-play title called "Olympics Go! Paris 2024" (somehow the title is awkward, even though it consists of fewer words than the Mario & Sonic game). Play title is available on mobile and PC.

nWay is also responsible for the NFT for the Olympics, which offers an "officially licensed commemorative Paris 2024 NFT digital pin collection." The company's website states, "You can request the legendary and spectacular pin badges featuring the Paris 2024 mascot waving the flag."

As for esports, earlier this month the IOC announced that it will host the first Olympic Esports games in 2025 in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian National Olympic Committee. This decision led to accusations of sportswashing on the part of Saudi Arabia, given the country's abysmal human rights record. Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is not particularly concerned, telling "Fox News" in 2023, "If sportswashing increases GDP by even 1%, I will continue sportswashing." I don't think Mario or Sonic would say that.