Is Super Mario Maker 3 On the Cards for Nintendo Switch?
As a long-time Nintendo fan and avid Mario platformer player, I‘ve loved diving into the creative toolkits offered by the Super Mario Maker series. Like many gamers, upon completing most of what Super Mario Maker 2 has to offer, I‘ve often wondered – will Nintendo treat us to a fresh new Maker entry with a Mario Maker 3?
Strong Ongoing Sales Suggest There‘s Still Strong Interest
Looking at the sales trajectories of the last two Mario creation games provides promising indicators for the prospects of Super Mario Maker 3:
- Super Mario Maker (Wii U, 2015): Over 4 million copies [1]
- Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch, 2019): Over 7 million copies [2]
These multi-million sales figures show that even with four years between releases, enthusiasm remains incredibly high for the DIY-platformer concept. In fact on Switch, the sequel sold over 75% more copies than the original.
Nintendo clearly has a winning formula here that could likely be mined further.
| Game | Platform | Launch Year | Total Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Maker | Wii U | 2015 | 4+ million |
| Super Mario Maker 2 | Nintendo Switch | 2019 | 7+ million |
Critical Praise Also Bodes Well for Another Entry
Alongside commercial success, Super Mario Maker games have been darlings with critics too:
- Super Mario Maker Metacritic: 88/100 [3]
- Super Mario Maker 2 Metacritic: 88/100 [4]
Reviewers consistently praise the wealth of content, accessibility, charm and pure creative freedom offered across the Maker series. This bodes very well for Nintendo green-lighting more of a proven winning formula.
Nintendo Typically Quick to Capitalize on Well-Performing Series
Also looking across Nintendo‘s catalog, they have a long history of striking while popular IP is hot and giving well-loved series regular sequels and incremental updates:
- 7 Mainline Animal Crossing games since 2001
- 13 Mario Kart franchise entries since 1992
- 11 Mainline 2D/3D platformers in the New Super Mario Bros series since 2006
This sets a clear precedent – where key franchises retain strong critical & commercial reception Nintendo is quick to capitalize by announcing sequels and incremental updates.
So the runaway success of Super Mario Maker 2 further boosts the odds of Mario Maker 3 entering at least initial development.
My Perspective: Rich Canvas for New Creation Features
As someone passionate about Mario and Nintendo game development, I think the modular, asset sharing foundations of the Maker series provide fantastically fertile ground for new features and content with each sequel.
Some personal most-wanted elements I‘d love to see in a Maker 3:
- Additional art styles – imagine a hand-drawn sketch or watercolor type aesthetic for our levels!
- Crossover themes & assets from wider Nintendo games. Craft Zelda or Splatoon-styled Mario stages!
- Powerup randomizers, global remixing of levels, collaborative construction.
- New stage archetypes like scrolling shooters or boss rushes!
With Nintendo‘s characteristically bursting creative spirit there is huge scope for invention that could make Mario Maker an enduring creation toolkit franchise akin to Minecraft with each fresh take.
In Summary: Super Mario Maker 3 Looks Promising
In closing, when looking at the runaway success of Super Mario Maker 2 in both critical reception and ongoing sales, Nintendo would seem to have ample incentive to develop a third entry. Their typical eagerness to capitalize on well-loved franchises also bodes well for another creative Mario platformer maker for Nintendo Switch.
