Feature: What We Expect From Nintendo For Super Mario Bros.’ 40th Anniversary
By Nintendo pulled out all the stops five years back for Super Mario Bros.’ 35th milestone, hosting a tailored Direct packed with fresh titles and, of course, mountains of anniversary swag to commemorate that legendary Famicom launch on 13th September 1985.
Jump ahead half a decade, and the big 4-0 is just a month-plus away. With Switch 2 already out there and a conspicuous plumber-shaped vacancy in Nintendo’s next-gen slate, it only feels natural that matching festivities are on the way. Super Mario Bros. 35 40, perhaps?
The obvious lay-ups are there—Mario Kart World patches, another Lego kit, a mountain of logo-stamped merch—and with Donkey Kong capably filling the 3D platforming role right now via the stellar Bananza, the thirst for the next fully-fledged 3D Mario isn’t as parched as it was in January. Still, the floorboards are loose enough for all sorts of pipe-crawling revelations.
Announcements are realistically weeks off yet, but let’s riff on what Team NL thinks Nintendo might be brewing for SMB’s 40th…
Super Mario Maker 2 ‑ Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Ludicrously Verbose Subtitle No One Can Actually Enunciate Whole (Gavin Lane, editor)
It isn’t only four decades of SMB this year—it’s also Super Mario Maker’s 10th birthday come September 10th. Seeing how Mario Maker itself is a gigantic love-letter to the series, my holographic paper trail leads right to a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Mario Maker 2, fresh with Wonder styling and mouse-style pointer options.
To keep the anniversary math alive (because what would games journalism be sans tortured timeline comparisons?), Yoshi’s Island turns 30 on August 5th. I can only appreciate the art; the screaming infant mechanic gives me hives. But imagine a 4K follow-up, though!
We’ve had multiple sequels, so let’s ignore those. I want the Link Between Worlds-to-Link to the Past treatment, not the resigned classroom-wind-break variety… Er, I’ve run this metaphor off a cliff and I don’t even like the original game; help me, Alana…
Bonkers Mario, stat (Alana Hagues, deputy editor)
I’m going rogue from the safe bets—sure, a fresh Mario Golf would slap and Mario Sluggers absolutely deserves the sequel treatment, but what about another DDR: Mario Mix?!
Granted, I’m not the demo for a new DDR Mario experiment, but that’s where my heart is—Mario’s wackier side. Mario RPG and Paper Mario have been shouldering that load lately, and Nintendo’s slicker animation tools mean we’re ripe for those oddball spin-offs on Nintendo Switch Online, or—gasp—a brand-new one.
Reality check: probably a Mario Movie 2 tease, a 3D Mario glimpse, maybe even a themed Switch 2 design. Be boring, world!
Court, Out of This World (Jim Norman, staff writer)
Golf, Sluggers, Strikers, and Olympic mash-ups? Hard pass. The only sporting revival I crave this September is Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
Basketball is bigger worldwide than ever, and the shuffling demise of NBA Jam has left an arcade-hoops void begging to be stuffed with high-flying Mario dunks and buttery 60 fps swishes. Ship it to me tomorrow.
If that’s a no-go, then let Galaxy 2 come home—call it a spruced-up 3D All-Stars addition or the tongue-twister “Super Mario 3D All-Stars + Super Mario Galaxy 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition,” I’ll buy it thrice.
99 Plumbers, 1 Dinosaur in Swimwear (PJ O’Reilly, staff writer)
Smart money says we’ll see a spit-shined Mario Wonder, the Galaxy line, or Godzilla-tonegawaneck: a total Mario Sunshine remake sporting Switch 2 bells. Picture yelling “Squeeeege!” into the mic to launch paint. The engineers can sort out the lawsuits.
Since the hype vacuum’s been deafening, maybe Nintendo drops a bite-size surprise, or perhaps a stealthy new mainline Mario slips in unannounced—I’ll even gift them the working title New-Ass Mario, gratis.
If wishes were Koopa shells, I’d lobby for a Mario 99 gauntlet: jump the line, biff the obstacles, fall once and you’re ghosted. Or, soon after Mario Paint arrived on NSO, maybe tests are running toward a modern sequel. Also, Nintendo, you’re ethically obligated—Mario Beach Volleyball with Yoshi in swim-trunks. Make it canon.
These are our hunches, but what do you think Nintendo will unveil once Super Mario Bros. blows out its fourth-decade candle? Could Super Mario 3D Land earn a Deluxe upgrade? A literal Lego brick-for-brick 1-1? Will Mario finally tap-dance across a Broadway stage after Miyamoto catches the Gilbert-and-Sullivan bug? Sound off below.