Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto says Nintendo's new fascination with movies is because "Games eventually stop running when newer versions come out, but films remain forever"
1896
Scott McCrae
2025-10-19
Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has explained why Nintendo has suddenly started going all-in on movies over the last few years.
Since the Bob Hoskins-led Super Mario Bros. film released in 1993, Nintendo seemingly swore off the prospect of letting movies based on its games happen (barring anime adaptations like the Japan-only Animal Crossing film and the various Pokemon movies). However, in the last few years it's been a complete 180, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie coming out in 2023 and being a massive success, a sequel to it releasing next year and a movie based on The Legend of Zelda coming in 2027 – not to mention chatter of Donkey Kong and Luigi's Mansion movies.
Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Pikmin (which recently had a new short film of its own) creator Shigeru Miyamoto spoke to Kyodo News (via TheGamer) and was asked about this change in attitude from Nintendo. Miyamoto said "Games eventually stop running when newer versions come out, but films remain forever."
Nintendo's mystery Pikmin video was nothing more than a showcase for Nintendo Pictures, which will "continue to explore new creative possibilities through video content"
Ex-Nintendo developer says the company doesn't make new IP often because "there's no real need" when it's more "about creating a new way to play" instead of fussing over "the skin or wrapper"
Mario is a sports star, doctor, and has even fought Sonic – 40 years after Super Mario Bros, it's the plumber's sheer versatility that's been the secret to success
Frankly, I get what Miyamoto is saying, that as new hardware releases it becomes harder to access the old titles, while films remain watchable regardless of hardware. But I think it's a bit of a strange comment given how prevalent Nintendo classics are on those consoles. The original Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64 are still two of the most popular games of all time when it comes to speedrunners, and both of those games are available on Switch 2.
You can play some form of Super Mario Bros on pretty much any piece of hardware Nintendo has released since the NES (barring the Game Boy, N64, and Virtual Boy). And while Nintendo has done some of the weirdest anti-preservation things in recent memory with the timed releases of Super Mario 3D All Stars and Super Mario 35, Nintendo is popular enough that fans will never let them die, even if it's through unofficial methods.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A can keep 10 ultra-rare shiny Pokemon spawned on the map at any time, and it's impossible to lose them unless you knock them out or are silly like me and scare them away
Recent Articles