Boss Rush Banter: Will Nintendo Release a New Mario Game to Tie In with The Super Mario Bros. Movie?

With 2023 fast approaching, excitement is building for Nintendo’s first foray into animated features in the form of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. As someone who loves Mario games, I’m excited about the film. The first official trailer gave me hope that the movie will turn out to be fun, if not great. But I’m even more excited about a possibility that I haven’t seen a lot of people discussing. Will Nintendo release a brand new Super Mario video game around the same time to capitalize on all the Mario hype?

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Trailer. Credit: Nintendo / Illumination.

It’s been 10 years since Nintendo released a brand new 2D Super Mario Bros. game (excluding Super Mario Maker 2, which one could make an argument for), and 5 years since a full new 3D Mario game (there was Bowser’s Fury, but it wasn’t a full game–there’s so much nuance in accounting for Mario games). With all eyes on the red plumber when the movie releases in April 2023, it seems possible that Nintendo could try to utilize that momentum and give Mario fans a reason to both show up in the theaters and fire up their Switches right after credits roll. However, other recent major video game movies, such as the Sonic films, haven’t exactly timed out with new game releases.

Nintendo may not see a need to release a new Mario game alongside The Super Mario Bros. Movie. They may be hoping that by reaching a broader audience through a theatrical release that new and young consumers may decide to pick up a Switch, or perhaps branch out to more of the existing Mario titles that they don’t already own. Or it’s possible the production schedules for a new Mario game may not line up well with the release of the movie. Just because it might be ideal to have a new video game product to tie in with the release of the movie doesn’t mean that a game would be ready on time.

On the other hand, Nintendo may have been planning on releasing a new Mario game around the same time as the film since the beginning. With the movie having been delayed from Holiday 2022 to April 2023, any game that they were working on to go along with it would have also benefited from this extra time. The new release date could even have factored in when a new game might be ready. Alternatively, Nintendo may have had a Mario game close to finished, and decided to hold onto it and polish it to go alongside the movie. It’s often been alleged that Nintendo sits on finished games, waiting to slot them into the proper place in their release schedule.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie poster. Image Credit: Nintendo / Illumination.

Personally, I hope we get a new Mario game of some sort around the same time as the movie. It’s one of my all-time favorite franchises in video games, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting a brand new, full entry, whether 3D or 2D. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about a new Mario game at a Nintendo Direct in early 2023.

What about you? Do you think Nintendo will certainly release a new Mario game along with The Super Mario Bros. Movie? Or do you think they’re hoping the movie will push more people to existing hardware and games? Let us know in the comments down below or join the Boss Rush Discord and share your thoughts there.