Unnamed sources have told VGC that Nintendo is planning to celebrate Mario 35th anniversary this year by not only releasing new games in the series including a new Paper Mario game, but re-releasing classic games in some form for the Nintendo Switch.
Shortly after VGC’s report, Eurogamer also corroborated the broader details from these unnamed sources and added a few details of their own. They confirmed that a new Paper Mario is in development, and that a deluxe version of Super Mario 3D World was also in the cards too.
But that’s not all; following the Eurogamer report, Gematsu also jumped into the mix and filled in some more of the blanks which have since been updated into the Eurogamer story. According to Gematsu, high-definition remasters of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy are also all planned.
All three reached out to Nintendo for comment and all three received the usual Nintendo “does not comment on rumor and speculation.”
As with any rumor, take it with a major grain of salt. That said, the publications that are lining up to corroborate and also add to the original report does give this particular rumor a bit more credibility than your average unnamed sources story.
It’s also not a particularly surprising report if it’s indeed true. Nintendo isn’t one to skimp on a chance to celebrate a milestone year for Mario, so we should expect something. Also, the 3D classics have been noticeably MIA for a while now, and if the reason is because Nintendo has been busy working on a high-res remaster of some kind that would explain a lot. Super Mario Odyssey was the most recent release in that line of 3D platformers.
Until Nintendo confirms it for themselves though, don’t get your hopes too high on playing through a new Paper Mario or Super Mario 64-remake this summer.
We’ll keep an eye on this rumor and update this post if there’s any more details that surface.
