Does Mario know Sonic?

As a hardcore gamer who grew up with these iconic mascots, I‘m thrilled Mario and Sonic are buddy-buddy these days. But it wasn‘t always rainbow roads and cheerful crossovers between Nintendo‘s mustachioed plumber and Sega‘s sassy hedgehog. Let‘s jump into the warp pipe of history and see how these video game titans went from bitter console war rivals to the friendly frenemies we know today.

Bitter 90s Rivals

First, we need to understand just how fierce the competition was between Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog back in the 16-bit battle of the 90s. As the flagship mascots of Nintendo and Sega, Mario and Sonic embodied the savage console wars of the era.

Gamers passionately debated which hero reigned supreme as we offered brand loyalty to our chosen platform. I personally stuck with Nintendo through thick and thin while my best friend became a Sega diehard. We‘d argue for hours over which mascot had the best games before finally giving each other the cold shoulder. Ah, good times!

Looking at sales figures from that decade, Mario initially dominated with his 1985 debut compared to Sonic‘s 1991 launch. But Sonic 2‘s 1992 release let him zoom past the portly plumber in popularity for a time in the mid-90s at least (see comparison data below).

The debate still rages today over this golden age of mascots. As a Nintendo kid I say Mario perfected 3D platforming and delivered timeless classics while retaining his trademark charm. Sonic loyalists counter that their spiky blue dude epitomized rad 90s attitude and blazing speed.

But the debate is now moot since Mario and Sonic are pals! So how did these bitter rivals bury the hatchet? Read on!

New Millenium – Rivals to Friends

Gaming and the world changed entering the new millenium. The fervor of 90s console wars cooled as Sega exited the hardware market in 2001 and focused on software. PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo continued competing, but without the same heated brand tribalism we saw in the 90s.

More signficantly for our heroes, Sega and Nintendo started collaborating on projects like F-Zero GX and even some Sonic games for Nintendo consoles. And in 2007, the world first witnessed Mario and Sonic side-by-side in the genre-mashing Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for Wii and DS. Cue fan freak out!

Since then the latest Mario & Sonic crossover has become an expected staple in both mascots‘ game line-ups. We‘ve seen our speedster and plumber paired over multiple Winter and Summer Olympic outings featuring sports from skiing to archery. Gameplay balances Mario‘s playfulness with Sonic‘s speed for family friendly competition.

The fact that these former blood rivals now harmoniously coexist in the Mushroom Kingdom and Green Hill Zone shows how much their relationship has evolved.

Just Good Friends

So what‘s the current lowdown on the actual friendship between Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Yuji Naka, the programmer behind Sonic? We can confirm they are on good terms from various interviews.

Here‘s Sega‘s Takashi Iizuka in 2021 commenting on their now strong bond:

Originally they were rivals, but now they have a very friendly relationship and respect each other a lot.

And Miyamoto amusingly revealed in a 2020 interview that Naka gave him VIP treatment when they hung out in Tokyo, flagging down taxis and such. Sounds like solid friend stuff to me!

The improved relations between Sega and Nintendo executives surely paved the way for a thawing of cold war tensions between their mascot heroes too. Much like Mario and Sonic, it seems their creators have left 90s drama behind for friendlier ties.

Friends Forever in Future Crossovers

From tense 90s showdowns to modern Olympic cameraderie, the complex history between gaming icons Mario and Sonic shows how bitter rivalry can transform into mutually beneficial friendship – just like Nintendo and Sega themselves.

We can expect more fun crossover outings allowing these complementary characters to play together as gaming advances. Perhaps a Mario and Sonic buddies RPG quest is on the horizon? Or a kart racing battle royale? The options are overflowing!

For now I‘m just grateful as both a nostalgic Nintendo child of the 90s and still passionate gamer today that Mario and Sonic have buried the hatchet. Their newfound friendship reminds us how common ground can unite rivals when petty differences are left behind.

In that spirit, excuse me while I call my old friend who was obsessively Team Sega growing up so we can reminisce. I might even share my secret stash of Sonic ROM hacks with him! When it comes to gaming, friendships should always come first. Just like our heroes Mario and Sonic demonstrate so well. What an epic crossover!