Nintendo took issue with the visual priority of Sonic the Hedgehog's foot over Mario in early key art for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, according to former SEGA producer Ryoichi Hasegawa in a podcast uploaded on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The demand shows how tightly Nintendo controlled Mario's image, even during a crossover with its longtime rival.

What's new: In an interview with Arcade Attack, Hasegawa recalled that an early promotional illustration depicted Sonic's foot in front of Mario. Nintendo flagged the "small error" and demanded a correction.

  • "I still remember that," said Hasegawa. "We were like, 'Oh my God, we have to change it or, you know, there will be no deal.'"
  • The finalized key art now shows Mario and Sonic at equal footing, though some fans spotted instances of Mario's visual priority slightly ahead of the blue blur.
  • Neither Nintendo nor SEGA replied to Hasegawa's comment.
Former SEGA producer Ryoichi Hasegawa recalled this official art for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, which was slated for promotional use. (SEGA)
"There was one funny story. So, there was artwork of Mario and Sonic and other characters standing on the field. And those artworks were used for the package. The instruction manual cover, and the cartridge label, and things like that. There was one small error and Sonic's foot was in front of Mario's foot, and Nintendo demanded us to change the priority."

The big picture: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games turned a long-running rivalry into a commercial collaboration.

  • The series spanned multiple Olympic releases, though it's been inactive since.