After the latest Nintendo Direct presentation, it’s clear that the Super Mario franchise is experiencing the end of an era. Super Mario is Nintendo’s flagship franchise, and as such, the company has made a concerted effort to bring a main series game to every single one of its handhelds and home consoles over the years, either at launch, in the launch year, or in the year after.
Many Super Mario games have been Nintendo launch titles. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario 64 DS, and New Super Mario Bros. U were launch titles for the NES, Game Boy, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, DS, and Wii U, respectively. Super Mario Sunshine released for the GameCube the year after that console launch, while Super Mario Odyssey released in the same year that the OG Switch hit store shelves. Nintendo fans aren’t used to waiting for new Super Mario games, but that’s exactly what’s happening with the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo is Making Fans Wait for Super Mario on Switch 2
After the latest Nintendo Direct came and went with no 3D Super Mario announcement, it’s clear that the series is at the end of an era. For whatever reason, Nintendo doesn’t feel the urgency to get a main series Super Mario game out on the Switch 2, and so the earliest it will come to the platform is a whopping two years after the console’s launch — an unprecedented wait for fans of the franchise. No new 2D or 3D Super Mario game has been announced for Switch 2 yet, unless one counts enhanced versions of Switch 1 games.
The good news is that it’s incredibly likely that 2027 will indeed be the year that the long-awaited Switch 2 3D Super Mario game finally launches. Reputable leaks, legitimized by official Nintendo announcements, have suggested that Super Mario and Pokemon Winds and Waves will be the two tentpole Nintendo games releasing in fall of next year, so 2027 should be stacked, to say the least. What exactly the new 3D Super Mario game will entail remains to be seen, but there have been rumors that it might be an open world experience, ala Bowser’s Fury.
And while no main series Super Mario games have been released for the Switch 2 yet, fans have at least been treated to high-profile spin-offs. Mario Kart World was a launch title for the Switch 2 and is a great game all-around. Nintendo even released a new Mario Kart World update recently that adds new content to the game completely free of charge. Mario Tennis Fever has also been released for the Switch 2, giving fans a fast-paced experience that is a lot of fun in multiplayer.
If a 3D Super Mario game comes out in 2027, it will be an unprecedented 10 years between 3D games.
While it’s hard to fill the void left by the lack of a main series Super Mario game on Switch 2, hopefully the console’s upcoming lineup is enough to keep fans satisfied in the meantime. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is coming this month, while Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is on deck for October. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is coming in November, and there’s still FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods on the way before the year is out. Next year is already looking pretty stacked for Nintendo as well, with Kirby and the World Beyond, Metroid Ravenous, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Xenoblade Genesis, and more already confirmed for next year. If the rumors about a new 3D Super Mario game releasing in 2027 turn out to be true, next year could be the best the Switch 2 has seen to date.
- Released
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October 27, 2017
- ESRB
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E10+ for Everyone 10+: Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
