When talking about the future of the Switch and its sales potential, I’ve seen pretty much the same list of games being mentioned as the heavy hitters for the platform: Pokémon, Smash, Animal Crossing, Metroid, Fire Emblem, a new Zelda and 3D Mario.
What’s almost always missing from the list is 2D Mario which when you think about it is a bit astounding since the series is featured among the Top 10 titles of every console it has been released on. NSMB Wii went on to sell 30m and helped boost the Wii’s 2009 holiday season to insane heights. The only title in the “New” series to sell under 10m is NSMB U.
Which brings me to why I think this future Switch title is snubbed and not even considered. Consciously or subconsciously I think Nintendo fans, blame New Super Mario Bros. U for failing to single-handedly save the Wii U from its fate. “It’s its fault the Wii U didn’t have great momentum”, “A 2D Mario isn’t a system seller”, “The series has gotten stale”.
Not all of these criticisms are unwarranted. For instance I do believe they need to shake up the 2D Mario platformers beyond new power ups and do something akin to how they reinvent the 3D Mario games with every console. I do think it’s unfair to write off the series completely as it has tremendous potential when it comes to selling Switch consoles and I know I would welcome a new title with open arms.
So what do you guys think? Is 2D Mario over? Has Mario Maker suppressed the need for Nintendo designed 2D level? Is it a system seller? Will we see a 2D Mario title on the Switch?
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