Nintendo‘s hybrid console had one heck of a run, selling 150 million units and catching up to PS2’s all-time record. But even the creator of Super Mario knows when it’s time to move on. In an interview with Japanese lifestyle magazine Casa BRUTUS, Shigeru Miyamoto admitted that the Super Mario series had been pushed as far as it could go for Nintendo Switch.
Miyamoto recalled that by the time Super Mario World came out, he and his team had ‘more or less perfected’ what a 2D Mario could be. Then came Super Mario 64, which marked a turning point for both the character and his creator. “I’d keep asking myself, ‘Does this still feel like Mario?'” Now, all these years later, it sounds like he finally hit the limit.
“With Super Mario Odyssey, I felt we’d done everything we could on the Switch,” Miyamoto said in the interview. Considering Mario has been reinvented so many times — from 2D side-scrolling to 3D collect-a-thons and even full-on map makers — it’s strange hearing Miyamoto talk about limits.
Meanwhile, it’s been months since the Switch 2 hit store shelves, and it still doesn’t have a mainline Mario game. Nevertheless, it’s not only fans who are wondering what Nintendo can pull off to make the next Mario feel fresh. Especially when the Switch 2 is more of a refinement than a true next-gen leap like its predecessor.
“We’ve always released new Mario titles when new hardware launches, so I’m curious to see how the current team will handle what comes next,” wonders Miyamoto.
Speaking of the Super Mario development team, Miyamoto also opened up about his current role at Nintendo. These days, he’s more of a mentor than a manager, but that doesn’t mean he’s hands-off. He says he still obsesses over ‘the first 30 minutes of gameplay’ and how the interface ‘feels.’
“I’ve come to draw a clearer line between my roles. A director is someone dedicated to a single title, focusing deeply on that one project. A producer oversees several titles at once, viewing things from a broader perspective.
For Mario and Zelda, it’s always been important that players think, imagine, and experiment on their own. That’s the heart of our design philosophy. We always try to make our games so that players themselves can feel creative while playing.
Now, I have trusted teammates who safeguard the world of Mario, so I leave a lot to them. Still, I personally focus on the first 30 minutes of gameplay and how the interface feels to use.”
Miyamoto ended the interview on a lighter note, brushing off any intention of slowing down. “I don’t plan to retire anytime soon,” said the 72-year-old game developer. “I want to stay healthy at least until Mario’s 50th anniversary!”
