Revealing a 3D Mario game too early would be "dangerous," former Nintendo marketing leads say: "Think about Metroid Prime 4"
11.0k
Scott McCrae
2026-02-17
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands
Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands
Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Nintendo's former marketing leads say the company shouldn't rush to reveal the next 3D Mario game if it's not coming for a while yet.
When the Switch 2 was revealed, all bets were on a 3D Mario game being shown alongside it, however, the 3D Mario team showed up with Donkey Kong Bananza, taking the role of the 3D Mario for the system's launch year. And while some may argue Bananza is even better, given the almost nine year gap since Odyssey, obviously the hunger for 3D Mario to return is there, especially since the only mainline title since then has been Super Mario Bros. Wonder (and the short Bowser's Fury mode in the 3D World re-release).
Nintendo president reportedly teases new games for popular series are in development
Nintendo doesn’t think Metroid Prime 4 sales are worth mentioning in new financial report
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Everything you need to know about the new Switch game
With revealing a game super early, Yang explains, "You open yourself up to a lot of scenarios where changes can happen, and will. And now you're going to have to either walk back something you've said or confuse people about something that's happened."
Plus, it sets the fanbase on alert, as every single Nintendo Direct will be met with disappointment if a major title like that doesn't appear – just like with Metroid Prime 4 and Tears of the Kingdom. As Ellis explains, "The game would get announced, people would be happy, and then a year later they're like, 'well, I'm mad again, where's the game?'" adding that "there's no reason for them to jump the gun."
While Nintendo has been known to sit on finished projects for a while, there's a hope within the fanbase that Bananza was actually finished ages ago and that a 3D Mario could arrive sooner than everyone expects, but as always, it's best not to get too invested until there's some concrete info. Especially when Mario games typically have a short reveal to release timeline as of late, as seen with 3D World, Odyssey, and Wonder.
Mario actor Charles Martinet is "more Luigi" in real life, but thinks Mario is "the most wonderful human being ever"
astroSloth
Feb 17, 06:32 PM
you get the idea
anxiousBean
Feb 17, 05:52 PM
😤 Feels like a full game.&
mildly_confused
Feb 17, 04:42 PM
and so on ❤️ this is intense. ;Tutorials are too short. solid game.
Recent Articles