Sega: 'Mario & Sonic can be Xmas number one'

Sega's UK managing director John Clark has said that Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games can beat off the challenge of its rivals to claim the Christmas number one spot.

The Wii and DS sports game faces intense competition for dominance of the Christmas sales market from Activision's Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and EA's FIFA 10.

Sega is therefore planning a major marketing campaign for the title around its release on October 16, and onwards to the Christmas period.

Speaking to MCV, Clark said: "There are three games that can be Christmas number one: Call Of Duty, FIFA or Mario & Sonic. It's as simple as that.

"The price cuts on PS3 and 360 could make that a slightly larger challenge, and Modern Warfare 2 will be huge. Will it be bigger than the last Modern Warfare? I think it probably will be.

"But we think we can do it because the last Mario & Sonic achieved a 30% attach rate on Wii and on DS it got a 7% attach rate. And if we achieve even half of that, we'll be in with a chance."

Read our preview of Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games here.

According to ELSPA/GfK-ChartTrack, FIFA 09 claimed last year's Christmas number one in the sales chart.