It used to be a tradition that with each upcoming Olympic Games, there would be a new installment in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series.

A crossover sports game where Mario and Sonic’s friends come together and compete in various Olympic events, the Mario & Sonic series began with the Beijing 2008 games and most recently released the Tokyo 2020 edition a few years ago. So why no Paris 2024 version? According to one of the former developers, a number of factors behind the scenes with the International Olympic Committee has led to the series’ cancellation In a report from Eurogamer, former Mario & Sonic developer Lee Cocker stated that the IOC didn’t want to continue with the franchise in order to make more money. Their pursuit of partnerships both in the upcoming esports scene and NFTs were the main reasons for the series ending.