In our post about the next Mario game, we discussed the possibility of whether or not Nintendo will ever make Super Mario Odyssey 2. However, with Super Mario RPG and Wonder being the next games on the cards, how likely is it that Nintendo will eventually circle back around to the 3D platform gem.
Super Mario Odyssey came out to the massive delight of fans back in the winter of 2017, just seven months after the launch of the Nintendo Switch. We’d already had the genius of The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and the return to 3D platform glory for the Brooklyn plumber was the icing on one of the cake for one of the best console launch years in gaming history.
AdvertisementIt had big, open world level, huge enemies and bosses, brilliant mechanics thanks to the introduction of Cappy and a continuous supply of platform fun. Reviews were off the charts with more 10/10s than we can remember and sales have made it the fifth most successful game on the Nintendo Switch.
With all of this in its favor, you’d imagine that Super Mario Odyssey 2 was a sure bet for Nintendo, but with the recent announcement for the RPG remake and Wonder, all bets are off. However. we’ll take you through all of the factors to give you a better idea about the prospect of the sequel and who knows, maybe someone over at Nintendo will hear our plea.
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What are the odds of Nintendo making Super Mario Odyssey 2?
AdvertisementApart from the sheer success of Super Mario Odyssey, there isn’t that much in favor of 2 being on the cards as things stand. Firstly, the longest gap between sequels was five years for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island and as of October 2023 it will already be six years since Odyssey first came out.
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Super Mario World was the launch game for the Super Nintendo in 1990 in Japan (’91 in the US and ’92 in the UK), but the sequel didn’t come out in 1995 in all territories. There’s even less of a gap for other games with the most recent 3D example being Super Mario Galaxy 2, which came out in 2010 on the Nintendo Wii, three years after the first game.
AdvertisementIf that isn’t enough to cast doubt on the chances of ever getting to play Super Mario Odyssey 2, there’s also the fact that a lot of great Nintendo title never get a sequel. There was no Super Mario 64 2, for example, or Super Mario Sunshine 2, and while they didn’t sell anywhere near as well as Odyssey, they’re still strong example of big games that never got a sequel.
In addition to the amount of time that has passed and the fact that not all Mario games get a second innings, there’s also a decent slate already announced from Nintendo running well into 2024. We’ve got the RPG remake and Wonder this year and then there’s Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, the Luigi’s Mansion 2 remake and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in 2024.
With not even a whisper from Nintendo about Odyssey 2 it looks like we’ll be up to a seven-year gap for a sequel before there’s even a space for it in the schedule. There’s also at least one big negative when it comes to the key people that worked on the first game, which we’ll talk you through in a bit more detail below.
What about the Yoshiaki Koizumi influence?
For anyone that doesn’t know, the producer for Super Mario Odyssey was Yoshiaki Koizumi and he was also the director/producer for the last 3D Mario combo, Galaxy and Galaxy 2. His credits go all the way back to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and he’s worked on Super Mario Kart, Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Mario 64, Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Bowser’s Fury, 3D Land and 3D World.
Essentially, he’s one of the main people at Nintendo to be responsible for 3D Mario games, but he’s recently been added to the team at Nintendo Pictures, so he’s going to be pretty distracted with the next series of movies we’ll be getting from the Big N. The cinematic success of the Super Mario Movie is going to have pulled other people away from their previous roles in Nintendo, so this could be a big reason why we haven’t had any word yet about Super Mario Odyssey 2.
The good news, though, is that there are other key people that haven’t been pulled away from their day job, so it’s not a complete bust. For example, co-producer Koichi Hayashida, director Kento Motokura and lead designers, programmers and artists haven’t been linked with other big projects, so there’s still plenty of people that could be working away in the background.
Could Nintendo be saving Super Mario Odyssey 2 for the Super Switch?
AdvertisementOur last great hope for Super Mario Odyssey 2 is the prospect of the next Nintendo console after the Switch. Whether it’s called the Switch 2, Super Switch or whatever, it’s possible that the reason we haven’t had a sequel yet is that it’s being saved to launch the next console.
We’d initially thought that might be the role of The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, but that already lit up the Nintendo Switch earlier this year. Historically, the launch title for a new console has either been a Mario game or a Zelda game, so with TotK already out, it’s a good bet that we’ll be getting the mustachioed plumber for the Super Switch.
This could explain why it’s taken so long for a sequel and provides a pretty good opportunity for Nintendo to follow up on the success of the first game. It’s the most successful 3D Mario game in history, so it definitely makes sense to make a second game, so fingers crossed it’ll be coming with the next console.
We’ll update you with more details on the next Mario game as they’re confirmed. You can also check out our computer games section to keep tabs on other releases. Visit the Nintendo website at www.nintendo.com/ for more details.
