Mobile gaming isn't the future of Mario, says his creator
Mario fans can rest easy as his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, weighs in on the plumber's future in mobile gaming.
Mario has had a healthy presence on Nintendo Switch and it seems like that's not going to change. In an interview with Variety(opens in new tab) amidst the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Miyamoto spoke on his experience with mobile gaming and Mario's place within it.
«Mobile apps will not be the primary path of future Mario games,» Miyamoto states unequivocally in the interview.
He added: «The intuitiveness of the control is a part of the gaming experience. When we explored the opportunity of making Mario games for the mobile phone — which is a more common, generic device — it was challenging to determine what that game should be.»
Here, Miyamoto is referring to his experience developing Super Mario Run, a 2016 mobile game that applied the plumber's platforming gameplay to the touchscreen. While fun in its own right, Super Mario Run ended up resembling countless games in the 'endless runner' genre, a popular game style on Android and iOS devices.
One of Miyamoto's core philosophies, one that's clear to see in the mainline Mario series, is to offer gameplay experiences you won't quite get anywhere else. When you analyze the differences between Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Odyssey, each becomes instantly recognizable thanks to their gameplay styles and aesthetics.
Mobile gaming doesn't quite offer that same level of freedom. There's only so much you can achieve with a touchscreen, to the point where several of the best mobile games settle on tried-and-true formulae, instead drawing in audiences with free-to-play business models and unique art styles.
The future of the Mario series is
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