Ever wondered why Sonic and Mario have only collaborated at Olympic events? Turns out there is a reason.

Speaking to SPOnG recently Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games chief producer Osamu Ohashi, producer Nobuya Ohashi, Wii version director Eigo Kasahara and the 3DS version director Kohji Shindo all discussed what gamers can expect from the upcoming title and spoke about the relationship between Sega and Nintendo.

When Sega announced they were giving up hardware development and focusing on software fans questioned whether Sonic and Mario, big rivals in the 1990's, would ever be seen together in one game. It took a number of years but they finally collaborated, although it is not what people expected. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games was released in late 2007 and the titular characters competed in a number of events based on the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

SPOnG asked why the two characters had only collaborated on the unlikeliest of titles. According to Osamu Ohashi Sega and Nintendo have been trying for years to figure out the best way to bring these two different franchises together.

"These characters come from two totally different backgrounds, and have completely different worlds. If you do any kind of collaboration, you can't just get them to run on one of the Sonic stages or vice versa. You have to create something from scratch, a neutral location. Nintendo and SEGA never managed to agree on just where or what kind of universe we could set a Mario and Sonic adventure in."

When Sega acquired the Olympics license Mr. Ohashi pitched the idea of putting Mario and Sonic together in this setting and both Sega and Nintendo approved. The idea proved a success as the title sold so well it has garnered two sequels. The newest title, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, is set to be the biggest one yet and will be released on the Wii and 3DS.

In addition to featuring a number of new events the newest title is set to feature more Dream Events, whereby sporting events take place in locations featured in the Mario and Sonic franchises. Sega has also added a Party Mode that encourages multiplayer gaming. Expect more details in the coming months.