Once bitter rivals in the video game industry, Mario and Sonic are all buddy-buddy nowadays.

Sega announced today that the two characters will appear alongside each other once again in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.

The duo previously appeared together in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games on the Wii and DS. The games garnered average reviews, with a 70 and a 67 for the DS and the Wii versions, respectively, but review scores be damned – Sega shipped over 10 million units between the two games.

And that’s reason enough for a sequel. The new game will be developed by Sega of Japan, with “guidance” from famed video game designer and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, though what this guidance consists of is unclear.

The Wii version will also feature Balance Board support, adding another bullet point to draw in gamers. But really, if over 10 million people bought up the first fun, if flawed, games, I’m sure Sega and Nintendo will have no problem making more money off of their mascots.

(photo from MTV Multiplayer)