New Mario on Switch 2? ‘Stay tuned,’ says Nintendo of America president
Doug Bowser assures players that most of Nintendo’s IP “will make its way” to Switch 2
Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has reassured players looking for a new Mario game on Switch 2 that it’ll be coming.
Many players were expecting to see a new 3D Mario game during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct earlier this month, given that the last entry, Super Mario Odyssey, was released eight years ago.
Instead, Nintendo revealed Donkey Kong Bananza, a 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong which appears to use an engine similar to that of Super Mario Odyssey, even if its development team remains a mystery.
In an interview with CNN, Bowser was asked about the lack of a main 3D (or 2D) Mario game confirmed for Switch 2, but Bowser suggested that fans simply need to hold fire, because one will eventually be on the way.
“Stay tuned,” he replied. “You know, we have a long, long catalogue and a long list of [intellectual property] that I’m sure will make its way to the platform.”
The concern among some players is that if Donkey Kong Bananza is the work of the main Super Mario Odyssey team, a new 3D Mario from that team could be years away. However, Nintendo is once again being secretive about who’s developing the game.
For several recent projects, Nintendo has refused to comment publicly on which specific development team is behind them.
This appears to be the case again with Donkey Kong Bananza. When VGC asked Nintendo who was creating Bananza at a Switch 2 press event last week, a spokesperson said: “Please wait for the game to release and check the credits.”
Similarly, when asked by IGN who was working on Bananza, Nintendo of America vice president of product and player experience Bill Trinen said: “It’s a very good question. You’ll have to stay tuned. We always like to start by showcasing the game and getting people focused on the gameplay, but we’ll have some information to share about the developer in due time.”
Further reading
Nintendo fans won’t be entirely without Mario on day one, because the console will be launching alongside Mario Kart World, the first entirely new home mainline Mario Kart console game in 11 years.
In a recent Mario Kart World hands-on preview, we wrote: “While it may not be immediately apparent given their two entirely different genres, Mario Kart World will do for Switch 2 what The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did for the original console.
“Both games take a respected, well-loved series and – rather than giving players a visually improved take on the formula they’ve come to expect – instead upend things with open-world innovation.”
