In a new interview, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has hinted at a potential upcoming major video game announcement for the Super Mario Bros. Franchise. Excitement for Mario is at a peak right now due to the upcoming release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Attention on the movie has some Mario fans wondering why there hasn't been a new game announcement for some time. While Miyamoto isn't leaking any announcements early, his comment should prove encouraging to Mario fans.
The last major release in the Super Mario Bros. Franchise, Super Mario Odyssey, was launched in 2017. That means it has been nearly six years without a release, a rare drought for the franchise akin to the window between Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Fans have been understanding, though. The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the development of many games, and Nintendo did at least release the expanded Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury bundle in the interim.
As for when the next major Mario project will be released, however, no announcements have yet been made. That's why Miyamoto's comments in a new interview with Variety are leading to a good amount of speculation. Miyamoto was asked directly when fans can expect a "new Mario game." While Miyamoto doesn't reveal any specific plans, he does offer a surprising thought. He says that all he can say is to, "stay tuned for future Nintendo Directs," with a large smile on his face.
Nintendo Directs are Nintendo's digital presentations where it often makes major announcements. No future Nintendo Directs have been announced yet, but fans are hoping Nintendo joins in on the industry's wave of June events. Nintendo didn't participate in those events last year, and Nintendo said it wouldn't participate in E3 even before E3 was canceled, but it's still a possibility.
The rest of 2023 is surprisingly open to another major game release, though that's very likely to be too optimistic. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will arrive on Switch on May 12 and Pikmin 4 will launch July 21. That leaves the holiday season without a major first-party Nintendo game announced.
While rumors regarding future Mario projects are thin, there are some. No 3D Mario games are known about, but there has been some hearsay about a 2D Mario game coming in 2023 or early 2024. That's entirely unreliable, as rumors go, though. Fans should probably just embrace Miyamoto's advice and wait for more Nintendo Directs. A new Mario game may not be coming soon, but it's an inevitability.