Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has said he has nothing against violent video games, but no one should expect the next Mario game to be an M-rated shooter or anything like that. No one ever realistically expected this to happen, of course, but it’s fun to hear Miyamoto talk about his design philosophy and why he wants to keep Mario a family friendly series.
Speaking to Variety, Miyamoto said his own personal quest is to find ways to make games fun and exciting that doesn’t require putting a gun into the character’s hand.
“I want to make it clear that I am not against shooter games and violent games,” he said. “There are many mediums that entertain people, but I think it is my mission to find other ways to make an interesting and fun game. I told myself that Mario is a character that never hurts other people, so I wanted to find a different way of expressing Mario.”
It’s been some time since the last entry in the mainline Mario series, 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey. In February, Miyamoto said in an interview that Nintendo is “always working on Mario.” In the Variety interview, Miyamoto told fans to look forward to future Nintendo Directs for new announcements.
Historically, Nintendo tends to, but doesn’t always, release new entries in the mainline Mario series around the launch of new hardware. Nintendo is working on the next console to follow the Switch, but no official details have been announced.
Also in the Variety interview, Miyamoto suggested Nintendo might be backing away from Mario games for mobile. He said, “Mobile apps will not be the primary path of future Mario games.” Mario games for mobile helps expand the potential audience for Mario games, but Miyamoto said, “Nintendo’s core strategy is a hardware and software integrated gaming experience.”
The next Mario release is not a game, but a film. The Super Mario Bros. Movie releases in theaters on April 5, and it’s expected to gross $225 million or more in its first frame. For more, check out GameSpot’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie review.
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