Is Paper Mario 7 on the Horizon? Signs Point to Yes

While not officially confirmed yet by Nintendo or developer Intelligent Systems, evidence suggests a Paper Mario 7 has strong potential to be unveiled within the next 1-2 years. As a passionate Paper Mario fan myself, in this post I analyze the case for why we could be embarking on another papercraft adventure sooner rather than later.

Sales Trends Show an Enduring Franchise

Paper Mario has sold very well recently – with The Origami King moving over 3.34 million units as of March 2022 according to Nintendo sales figures. That already makes it the third best-selling Paper Mario game ever after a relatively short time on store shelves:

* As of March 2022

Coupling this commercial success with the glowing critical reception, and Nintendo would seem remiss to not eventually greenlight another entry.

For comparison – the mainline 3D Mario series sells around ~10 million per installment. Paper Mario now gets about half those numbers – underlining its credentials as a bankable Nintendo franchise.

"Paper Mario has clearly found its groove lately as a fan favorite Nintendo series in its own right"

Critical Praise Suggests Plenty of Goodwill

In addition to robust sales, Paper Mario: The Origami King has earned stellar reviews that indicate critics and fans are highly engaged with the series:

Terms like "clever writing", "beautiful visuals" and "inventive combat" have been thrown around in reviews. This bodes well for the Nintendo brass to continue backing the Intelligent Systems team for a vibrant Paper Mario 7.

The Development Cycle Fits

Looking at the release history shows Paper Mario averages a new entry every 3-4 years:

• Paper Mario (N64) – 2000
• The Thousand Year Door (GCN) – 2004
• Super Paper Mario (Wii) – 2007
• Sticker Star (3DS) – 2012
• Color Splash (Wii U) – 2016
• The Origami King (Switch) – 2020

This makes 2023-2024 seem like reasonable target launch windows if Paper Mario 7 entered production after The Origami King shipped.

"Paper Mario has reliably delivered a fresh experience every console generation lately. I‘d expect Paper Mario 7 to continue that trend on Nintendo Switch"

Of course – 2020 did see the unfortunate shutting down of AlphaDream, developers of the Mario & Luigi RPG series. This could free up resources at Nintendo to ensure Paper Mario remains well-supported moving forward as the prominent Mario story-driven sub-franchise.

What Could Paper Mario 7 Look Like?

While complete speculation at this stage, examining the history offers clues into what Paper Mario 7 could deliver when it (likely) arrives:

Potential Settings:

• Wild West theme – deserts and canyons, train heists!
• Prehistoric world – volcanoes, dinosaurs, jungles
• Heavenly overworld – clouds, angels

Possible New Partners:

• Chain Chomp
• Bandit Mask
• Shy Guy
• Kamek
• Paper Yoshi

Innovative Battle Mechanics:

• 2-player co-op battles
• Partners with interchangeable weapons/gear to equip
• Mario controlling separate squad teams

And the Rest:

• 8-10 introductory chapters
• Award-winning soundtrack
• Good-natured humor and quirky NPCs
• Themed papercraft art style

Knowing the creativity the Paper Mario developers have consistently exhibited gives me confidence they have plenty more delightful ideas up their sleeves!

In Summary

While Paper Mario 7 hasn‘t entered the official Nintendo release slate yet – strong sales momentum, critical adulation, and a veteran development team clicking on all cylinders suggests an announcement sooner rather than later is likely.

As a Switch owner and ardent Nintendo fan – I know I‘ll be eagerly anticipating news in 2024 on what imaginative paper journey Mario embarks on next!

What would you like to see in a new Paper Mario RPG? Which prior elements did you most enjoy? I welcome speculation in the comments!