New 3D Mario game for Switch 2

Almost eight years have passed since Super Mario Odyssey-the longest break between 3D Mario titles. When will the successor for Switch 2 finally come? Nintendo manager Doug Bowser now gives hope for soon news for fans of the jumping plumber.

Eight years waiting for new 3D Mario

The unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 caused a lot of excitement among game fans, but an announcement was missing: a new 3D Mario title shone through absence. While Nintendo came up with games like Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the jumping plumber remained unmentioned in his 3D shape.

Almost eight years have passed since Super Mario Odyssey from 2017-the longest break between two 3D Mario main games ever. Doug Bowser, President of Nintendo of America, has now given hope. In a conversation with CNN, he indicated that fans did not have to wait too long for a successor. “Stay Tuned. We have a long, long catalog and a long list of intellectual property, which will certainly find its way to the platform,” said Bowser.

Nintendo’s EPD team has their hands full

As reported, the absence of a new 3D Mario game in the Switch 2 presentation was surprising for many. However, the Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) department, which was responsible for Super Mario Odyssey, has had his hands full in recent years. The team developed Super Mario Bros. Wonder, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Splatoon 3. Longer waiting times between 3D Mario games are not unusual.

There were seven years between Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010) and Super Mario Odyssey (2017). The distances between Super Mario 64 (1996), Super Mario Sunshine (2002) and Super Mario Galaxy (2007) were also considerable. The steadily increasing development times for AAA games make Mario’s current break understandable.

Open world for the jumping plumber?

Bowsers Fury, an independent spin-off that was published in 2021 together with the Switch new edition of Super Mario 3D World, could give an indication of the future of the series. In contrast to previous 3D Mario games with their self-contained levels, Bowsers Fury offered an open game world-possibly a test for the next big Mario adventure.

Nintendo has experimented with open worlds in its flagship series in recent years, as in Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom and the upcoming Mario Kart World. It would therefore not be surprising if the next 3D Mario title would continue this trend-be it with a coherent open world or with significantly larger levels than before.