Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games coming to Wii U

A new Mario & Sonic Olympics title is on the way for next year's Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation today.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, which is in development on Wii U, will feature a wide variety of Olympic winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, bobsledding, pairs figure skating and curling. Players will have to use both the GamePad and the Wii Remote Plus, depending on the event in question. Curling, for example, requires players to draw lines on the tablet.

Realistic sports minigames aren't the only events on offer. The game will also include fantastical events set in the world of Mario and Sonic, in which characters have special abilities not possible in the real world. Mixed events that combine sports like skiing, snowboarding and bobsledding in one race, will also be available.

Iwata did not announce a release window for the game. The Sochi Winter Olympics will be held in February 2014.