Miyamoto wants the next 3D Mario game to 'further expand' the series
The success of Odyssey convinced the designer that 3D games can appeal to a wide audience
9th Nov 2021 / 10:32 am
Chris Scullion
Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that Nintendo wants to "expand further" when developing the next 3D Mario game.
Speaking during a Q&A following the publication of its latest financial results last week, Miyamoto said that the success of Super Mario Odyssey had made it clear that the company was succeeding in its attempt to make 3D Mario games playable by a larger audience.
When asked about the differences between 2D and 3D Mario games, Miyamoto explained that the New Super Mario Bros series was designed to create a Mario game that was accessible to players of all skill levels, because the 3D games weren't at the time.
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"Let me explain by describing the background for the development of the Wii game New Super Mario Bros Wii, which was released in 2009," Miyamoto said.
"At the time, it felt like each time we created a new instalment in the Super Mario series – which by then had expanded into 3D – it became more complicated.
"After the release of Super Mario Galaxy in 2007, the goal was to develop a more accessible 3D Super Mario game, and the result was New Super Mario Bros Wii, a basic side-scrolling Super Mario game that even new players could easily play. That later led to the release of the even simpler Super Mario Run game (a mobile application released in 2016.)
"When we develop software, we strive to incorporate new elements, but at the same time we want to make it easy for even first-time players to have fun.
"Recently, people of all generations have been enjoying the 3D Mario game Super Mario Odyssey (released in 2017), so for 3D Mario going forward, we want to try expanding further in new ways."
With nearly 22 million titles sold to date, Super Mario Odyssey is the best-selling 3D Mario game by a significant margin. The second best selling is Super Mario Galaxy, with sales of 12.8 million.
Nintendo recently announced the main cast list for the Illumination-produced Super Mario movie and confirmed a North American release date of December 21, 2022.
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Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World star Pratt, who also voiced the lead role in the animated Lego Movie, said in an Instagram video that playing Mario was 'a dream come true".
"You'll have to wait to hear the voice [of Mario], but we've been working hard at it and I'm really excited to announce that I'm going to be the voice of that video game that I dreamed about playing as a kid." Pratt said. "Dreams come true."
It was also confirmed that Anya Taylor-Joy will voice Princess Peach, Charlie Day will play Luigi, Jack Black will star as Bowser, and Seth Rogan will voice Donkey Kong.
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