Will Mario 35 Ever Come Back? Analyzing the Fate of the Limited-Time Battle Royale

When the servers went dark on the frenetic, 35-player Mario battle royale game on March 31, 2021, devastated fans were left wondering — could Super Mario Bros. 35 ever make a return? As a limited-time release for the iconic plumber‘s 35th anniversary, the availability window for the surprise hit was always restricted. But with many hoping to see Mario 35 make a comeback, let‘s analyze the evidence and Nintendo‘s history to gauge the chances.

Mario 35 Is Officially Gone With No Way to Currently Play

To begin, it must be clearly stated that as of April 2021, Super Mario Bros. 35 is completely discontinued with the software delisted from the eShop. When attempting to launch the previously downloaded game, players are now met with Error Code 2124-4609 indicating the online functionality and support has ended. Unlike with some other discontinued services, Nintendo has provided no workarounds for diehard Mario 35 fans to keep enjoying matches. Online multiplayer and leaderboards were too integral to easily allow offline play. So for now, the book seems closed on Mario‘s most chaotic NES adventure.

Why Did Nintendo Pull the Plug After Just 6 Months?

Considering Mario 35‘s warm critical and fan reception since launch, why was the plug pulled so soon? According to Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, the decision came down to it being an intentionally limited-time 35th anniversary product, not meant to continue indefinitely. Releasing surprise game remasters and exclusives throughout 2020 brought immense hype for the milestone, so discontinuing them after March 2021 preserved that moment in time.

However, others note Mario 35 could have persisted online with relatively few resources compared to developing full-price games. Director Masao Yamamoto claimed in a January 2022 Japanese Mario history book the team only required 6 months to develop the title on a modest budget. Its server costs and monitoring were also likely affordable at scale. So some speculate Nintendo may have additional unstated business, branding, or strategic reasons to restrict Mario 35‘s availability window beyond just memorializing the anniversary.

Mario 35 incorporated the chaotic multiplayer style popularized by battle royale trendsetters like Fortnite and Apex Legends

Fans Pine for Its Return Following Warm Reception

Why the ongoing clamoring among gaming circles for Mario 35‘s revival? Beyond pleasurable core gameplay, the title represented a bold new direction for the Mario franchise drawing on contemporary gaming trends. Inspired by the mass-multiplayer chaos of Fortnite andTetris 99, cramming 35 simultaneous players into furiously-paced NES levels struck gaming gold. Combine that frenetic energy with global leaderboards tracking skilled competitors, and Mario 35 cultivated a passionate community during its short tenure.

In just 6 months, Mario 35 amassed over 10 million players according to private Nintendo data, pointing to sky-high engagement dwarfing most indie darlings. Reviewers praised its accessibility yet shocking ruthlessness keeping veterans on their toes. Even competitors like Xbox offered tribute tweets when service ended, signaling Mario 35‘s surpassing its expected niche. With so many just discovering and mastering its nuances by March, fans felt robbed of seeing how far competition could progress. There is a longing to dive back in for "just one more round" of chaotic, unrelenting NES platforming showdowns.

Slim Prospects of Mario 35 Making a Comeback

So with such ardent demand, could we eventually see Mario 35 return from the video game graveyard? Nintendo has reversed course on discontinuing online services before, most notably bringing back Wi-Fi functionality for DS/Wii games in 2022. However, Mario 35 was an intentionally limited product without the years of lingering support for past titles. And few mentions across 2022 suggest the Mario 35 team remains intact to revive servers.

As the above summary shows, most Mario 35th anniversary releases followed the same March 2021 cutoff. But the 3D Mario collection of Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy at least seems plausible for coming back given Nintendo publishing evergreen hits. Still, without more revelations of Mario 35‘s inner workings, the safest bet is that Mario 35 won‘t return outside an eventual 40th or 45th anniversary commemoration years down the line. The team, documentation, and technical infrastructure may be long gone.

Of course, predicting Nintendo‘s plans is notoriously folly. So while Mario 35 feels like a once-in-a-lifetime gaming lightning strike, its shadow still looms in retrospectives and calls for encores. And if pandemic delays hadn‘t shortened development, perhaps more single-player content could have extended its lifespan. For now, fans can only chase the Mario 35 high score dragon in dreams and anticipate whatever innovation Nintendo cooks up next. The beloved plumber has reinvented himself across genres before, so another curveball could await when we least expect it!