Summary
With over 830 million units sold across each game in the franchise and $1.36 billion in earnings from this year’s motion picture based on the IP, it’s safe to say that Mario’s star still burns bright in the entertainment industry. Not only isSuper Mario Bros.and its myriad of entries the best-selling video game series of all-time, it’s also one of the most celebrated. Boasting aggregate scores that consistently land in the 90s and several entries often cited on “greatest of all-time” lists,Super Mario Bros.is as much a pop-culture phenomenon as it is a fixture in the medium of video games.
Theupcoming release ofSuper Mario Bros. Wondergives plenty of cause for fans to be excited. Not only is it a return to the classic side-scrolling perspective of Mario’s past outings, but it’s shaking up the series' classic platforming with the introduction of several new mind-bending mechanics. Interestingly, the release ofWonderaligns with an established pattern from Nintendo, indicating that there may be even more to look forward to after its release. If historic precedent is to be believed, fans may be getting another 3DMariogame sooner than they might have expected given how Nintendo has previously approached the series' release schedule.
RELATED:Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s Characters Break A Huge Series Tradition
The Super Mario Bros. Release Timeline & How Wonder Fits In
After beginning as strictly a 2D, horizontally-scrolling platformer,theSuper Mario Bros. series' transition into 3DwithSuper Mario 64was nothing short of a revolution. However, as a result of its mammoth success, the market quickly became flooded with other 3D platformers that heavily drew from its template. Nintendo’s solution to this dilemma was to return Mario to his 2D roots, surprising fans with the excellentNew Super Mario Bros. Since then, theMariogames have followed a somewhat predictable release pattern, with new 2D side-scrolling entries preceding a new 3D game followed by a remaster or collection of some sort, and then a spin-off featuring familiar side characters.
Taking a look at theMariofranchise timeline below andseeing whereWonderlands(along with the several new ancillary titles announced at the recent Nintendo Direct) may help to point to what’s in store for the series' future. At the very least, it can serve as a reminder that the Switch is not wanting for an excellent library chock-full of classic and modernMariotitles, as the system has most of the iconic plumber’s adventures available via either physical and digital retail releases or the Nintendo Switch Online service and its classic game collections.
Super Mario Bros. Wonderwill be released on July 28, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Super Mario Bros. Wonder Could Create a New Kind of Challenge Run
