What’s next for Mario? (pic: Nintendo)



The hints about a new Nintendo console are coming thick and fast, as the creator of Mario talks about working with ‘new technology.’



As much as Nintendo like to talk about a 10 year lifespan for the Switch (which would take you up to 2027) it’s obvious that they’re going to have a new console out sooner than that, although it’s very difficult to predict when exactly it’ll be announced.



As far back as 2020 they were hinting at plans for a new system, while last year Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto suddenly started talking about ‘new hardware’ , albeit within the context of backwards compatibility.



Now, Miyamoto has revealed that he’s excited about working with ‘new technology’ and while it’s not clear if he’s referring to consoles he has confirmed he’s working on a new Mario game.



Asked why a new game hasn’t been announced to coincide with The Super Mario Bros. Movie next April, Miyamoto answered simply: ‘We’re always working on Mario, so when we get to a time where we can share information, we’ll certainly do so.’



His answer recalls the standard procedure for new consoles, where companies begin work on a new one as soon as the current one is released (so, in some sense at least, Sony is already working on PlayStation 6 and Nintendo the Switch 2, regardless of when they actually come out).



Apart from experimental title Bowser’s Fury , packaged with the remaster of Super Mario 3D World, the last big budget Super Mario game was Super Mario Odyssey way back in 2017.



Although it’s not unheard of for there to be only one mainline Super Mario game per console there’s been no clue as to when there will be another, with the only rumours suggesting that a new Donkey Kong game is being worked on by the same team – although there’s never been any proof of that.







In the same interview with IGN , at the opening of Super Nintendo World in L.A., Miyamoto also discussed his general workload at the moment, saying: ‘In terms of the theme park, there’s still Orlando and Singapore left, and there’s still movie work left. So there’s a lot of things that are still left on my plate.



‘On the way, if I find something new and interesting, I would love to take part in that, especially if there’s any kind of new technology. I would love to see which one of our talents would be best suited for that.’



Although that could be a hint at a new console it’s not at all clear and could easily be referencing something to do with theme parks or maybe something else entirely.



His final comment though is: ‘Maybe we can send Mario to Jupiter’, which unless Nintendo’s theme park plans are literally out of this world does seem to be a reference to the next game.



For that matter, the reference to ‘movie work’ doesn’t necessarily mean just the one in April, but even with these titbits it’s wise never to assume anything about what Nintendo is doing until they officially announce it.









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