Tag: Shigeru Miyamoto

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Mobile Syrup

Shigeru Miyamoto interested in pursuing more Nintendo films

One of the most recognizable faces at Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, says he’s interested in keeping the company in the movie-making business.

The news follows Nintendo’s massive success with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which raked in a staggering $377 million ($510 million CAD) globally during its opening weekend.

According to Japanese outlet Nikkei, Miyamoto referred to Nintendo as a talent agency with plenty of different entertainers. Without getting into specifics, he stated, “There are many possible ways we could go, such as using characters that would be fit for movies or very well-known characters.”

When one of your films becomes a contender for the highest-grossing film of 2023, why wouldn’t you want to pursue more movies in the future?

The question then becomes, what Nintendo franchise would best suit a role on the big screen? The possibilities are endless, with the company behind many of the most beloved video game sagas ever.

Naturally, Nintendo may look to follow up with a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as it knows they have the audience and demand for it.

Miyamoto’s enthusiasm is shared by Illumination’s Chris Meladandri, who showed support for continuing their relationship down the line, with the former Nintendo GM stating that he’s “sure we will continue working on this partnership.”

For more news about Miyamoto, check out when he recently showed his distrust for Dr. Mario’s medical practices here.

Image credit: Nintendo

Source: Nikkei Via: Nintendo Everything

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Mobile Syrup

Shigeru Miyamoto says Dr. Mario can’t be trusted because he’s not a real doctor

Wait… What?

A man of many (often red) hats, Mario has been called out by his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, saying that the iconic character’s medical career isn’t just shady, it’s completely invalid.

Miyamoto spoke with IGN recently to discuss The Super Mario Bros. Movie which released on April 5th. The mastermind behind the Mario character seemed to be satisfied with the film, especially with the depiction of Mario as an everyman hero.

However, the discussion took a bizarre turn with Miyamoto taking shots at one of Mario’s most infamous roles, painting Dr. Mario as a corrupt, fraudulent and perhaps even illegal practitioner of medicine.

“Mario’s a blue-collar, he’s a regular person. So, even when he becomes Dr. Mario, there’s a sort of, like, shadiness, like ‘can I trust this person?’” Miyamoto said.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that extreme a statement, but Miyamoto raises serious concerns about Mario’s pill-pushing persona. How many plumbers do you know that double as medical specialists? Something is definitely up.

For those who don’t know, Mario’s medical history stems from the 1990 puzzle video game titled Dr. Mario where Mario assumes the role of…you guessed it… a doctor.

Nintendo might have started to clue into Mario’s shady practices a few years back, when the mobile game Dr. Mario World was shut down in November 2021.

Thankfully, the Nintendo giant put his worries aside and praised Mario for his heroic evolution in the film.

“I think that’s the kind of image that’s carried down for generations as Mario. And to see that image kind of coincide, and then evolve into something of a hero is something that I’m really happy to see,” Miyamoto said.

Image credit: Flickr

Source: IGN

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Mobile Syrup

The future of Mario games on mobile remains unclear

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has opened up about Nintendo’s approach to bringing the iconic Italian plumber to mobile.

During a broader discussion with Variety about The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the legendary game designer was asked about Nintendo’s mobile aspirations for Mario. In response, Miyamoto said, mobile “will not be the primary path of future Mario games.”

On the one hand, that’s pretty obvious considering Nintendo has a major hardware business and games like Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are some of its best-sellers. It’s also in line with what Nintendo has been doing.

In terms of a traditional Mario platformer, the company has only released Super Mario Run on mobile, which debuted on iOS in 2016 and Android in 2017 to fairly positive reviews. However, the game’s premium monetization model made it far less successful than other Nintendo mobile games, particularly the free-to-play Fire Emblem Heroes, which has made over $1 billion USD (about $1.3 billion CAD).

That said, Mario did find more success on the mobile front with Mario Kart Tour, a free-to-play racer that has grossed over $300 million USD (about $403.6 million CAD). A third Mario mobile game, Dr. Mario World, was released in 2019 and shuttered just two years later after reportedly only earning around $14 million USD (about $18.9 million CAD) in that time.

On the whole, Nintendo has largely seemed to move away from mobile games, with the company only putting out the relatively low-key Pikmin Bloom in the past two years.

Elsewhere in the interview, Miyamoto elaborated on both the difficulties and rewards of pursuing Mario on mobile. On the one hand, he said it was “challenging” to translate the platforming action to a touchscreen, but he also noted how mobile “expands the doorway for far more audience to experience the game.”

That said, he called Super Mario Odyssey “the ultimate evolution of a Mario adventure game on a typical 3D platformer,” suggesting an interest in pursuing more along that style of game. “We try to define what is the gameplay, what is the method, and then define what devices we go on,” he said of Nintendo’s process when beginning development on a new Mario.

Ultimately, he didn’t formally shut the door on future Mario mobile games, but he didn’t suggest any more were coming, either. Instead, he said, “please stay tuned for future Nintendo Directs” when asked when we could expect the next mainline Mario game. While we did get new 3D Mario action in the Bowser’s Fury expansion included with 2021’s Super Mario 3D World port, the last fully brand-new mainline Mario was 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey. Therefore, it seems like we’re due for a new entry sooner rather than later.

For now, though, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is finally playing in theatres.

Image credit: Nintendo

Source: Variety