Another Nintendo Direct came and went without mention of a new Mario game, ending the franchise’s 40th anniversary year not with a bang, but with a resounding “huh?”
Despite rumors and murmurs from noted leakers, there was no reveal of a 3D Mario game at the September 2026 Nintendo Direct. In fact, the only mention of Nintendo’s mascot was a free update to Mario Kart World, which allows you to play SNES courses already in the Free Roam map in Versus mode.
Traditionally, Nintendo consoles have been blessed with a 3D Mario not long after they hit stores. Super Mario 64 was a launch title for the Nintendo 64, and Sunshine, Galaxy, 3D Land, and Odyssey all released within a year of their respective platforms’ lifecycles. (Wii U title Super Mario 3D World launched a year and four days after the console, but that’s close enough.)
Meanwhile, there hasn’t even been a hint of a 3D Mario game for Switch 2. At the very least, Mario fans have been able to enjoy Donkey Kong Bananza, which was developed by the same team that made Super Mario Odyssey–and it certainly has a lot of Odyssey’s DNA. Still, the lack of a mainline Mario game puts a damper on a monumental anniversary year for the jump-happy plumber.
Yes, Mario hit it big at the box office with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, but all Switch 2 owners have gotten are ports and a tennis game. And while Nintendo counted the adorable Yoshi and the Mysterious Book as part of the celebration, that game is notably Mario-less.
Zelda fans are at least getting a full remake of the beloved Ocarina of Time for that franchise’s 40th, and a brand-new 3D Kirby game marks the pink puffball’s 35th birthday. Even Metroid fans are eating well now. Mario will surely have his due soon, and video game development is a notoriously long and difficult process. But Nintendo seemed ill-prepared for Mario’s 40th birthday, and the fact that a successor to Super Mario Odyssey might not come until a decade after that game’s release is a disappointment tantamount to finding that the princess is in another castle.
