Nintendo May Release New Paper Mario, Re-Release Classic Mario Games, For 35th Anniversary

While the Mario x Lego collaboration seemed like a strange collaboration that came out of nowhere, it may actually have been a harbinger for things to come. By the end of the year, Nintendo may not just be adding Mario to new franchises but bringing back old and beloved classics.

In a report by Video Games Chronicle (VGC), Nintendo is rumored be planning to re-release many of the beloved Super Mario Games for the series’ 35^th anniversary. These include Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and the Super Mario Galaxy series from their original consoles the Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Wii, respectively. In addition, there may be a new Paper Mario game as well as a ported version of Super Mario 3D World à la New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.

This announcement was reportedly to release in Nintendo’s E3 presentation along with Nintendo’s partnership with Universal – “the pair’s Super Nintendo World theme park attractions and animated Super Mario movie.” Given E3’s cancellation, Nintendo may be forced to relay this information in a Direct instead.

As VGC notes, this sort of celebration isn’t unheard of. On the 30^th anniversary in 2015, Nintendo partnered with several companies to produce Mario-related merchandise. Additionally, Super Mario Maker for the Wii U was released that year.

However, if Nintendo does re-master/re-release their many Super Mario Games in honor of the 35^th anniversary and release a new Paper Mario, this would be an extraordinary celebration of the staying power of Super Mario. Given that gamers still don’t know Nintendo’s plans post-Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition (set to release May 29^th), this could be a distinct possibility. But until we hear word directly from Nintendo, we can only hope these rumors come true.