A Corporation today announced that its video game title, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Game has sold five million copies worldwide in just over three months. Developed by SEGA for the Wii video game system and the Nintendo DS system, with creative input and executive milestone approvals by Nintendo’s developers, the title brought together for the first time the two most beloved icons in the entertainment industry. In the spirit of the Olympic Games, the legendary mascots also brought friends from their storied franchises along, including Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi and Tails, to compete in a variety of Olympic events.
“Since the moment we knew this game could happen, all at SEGA Europe have been tremendously excited. We felt that this game could be popular with all audiences, and appeal to both gamers and newcomers to gaming alike – but sales to date have surpassed our expectations!Mario and Sonic have once again proved that in this high tech next gen market, fun and hilarity will always have a place in everybody’s hearts.” said Mike Hayes, President and COO, SEGA Europe. Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and by Nintendo in Japan, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games made its worldwide debut on November 6, 2007, when the Wii version hit store shelves in the United States. According to the NPD Group, which tracks sales data in the United States, the game was one of the top-ten best-sellers in the United States – across all platforms – in the critical holiday sales month of December. When Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games launched in Europe just days later, it was an immediate hit, rising rapidly to the top of sales charts and becoming the best-ever performing Wii game over the seven-day period, ending on December 11, 2007. In January, Mario & Sonic hit the top of the charts again and became the best-selling videogame in the UK and Benelux markets across all formats. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive Interactive Entertainment Software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). |
