Sega character Sonic the Hedgehog was developed as a rival to match Nintendo's flagship mascot Mario in the 1990s but the legendary pair have featured in several mini-game series against each other.

The game will be the latest sporting collaboration between Nintendo and Sega, in what will be their fifth edition of the series after working on Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Summer Games, before producing a game for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

A total of 40 characters, with half coming from each gaming franchise, are set to be available for players to use during the game.

Other than Mario and Sonic, the characters will only be selectable for a specific number of events, however.

Among the features included will be training gyms for either Mario’s or Sonic’s teams, depending on which the player selected at the start of the game.

Unlockable items such as Mario and Sonic themed Mii outfits can be earned for the player’s personalised character.

The trailer shows several depictions of Rio de Janeiro's beaches, while golf, which is making its return to the Olympic Games is one of the sports to feature heavily.

Licensed by the International Olympic Committee, the game will be released on Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and arcade formats, with the Nintendo 3DS edition set to enable players to use their amiibo – a Nintendo character toy which interacts with their device – to unlock temporary outfits for their mii characters.

The game is scheduled to go on sale in Japan on February 18, but release dates for other countries are yet to be confirmed.