Nintendo's Mario Day 2024 brought us some announcements we saw coming, including release dates for the Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. We also got a big movie announcement, but one thing was missing: a new original Mario game. Could Nintendo be saving its next big Mario title for the Switch 2?
Here’s everything announced at Mario Day 2024 and a few hints at when we can expect the next original Mario title.
Nintendo’s trip down Mario memory lane continues at Mario Day 2024
Many fans were hoping Nintendo would announce a new Mario title in their Mario Day 2024 presentation, but unfortunately, that didn’t pan out. However, Nintendo did confirm the release dates for a couple of upcoming remakes of older Mario hits.
The highly-anticipated Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is coming out on May 23, 2024. About a month later we’re also getting Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD on June 27, 2024. Both Paper Mario and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD are now available for digital pre-order on the Switch e-shop.
While remakes can be hit or miss, I have high hopes for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It’s widely acknowledged as one of the best Mario games ever made, so hopefully Nintendo gave the remake the love it deserves.
The trailer looks promising, showcasing updated graphics that retain the unique cardboard-like texture of Paper Mario games but with improved resolution and detail compared to the original. Luckily, we won’t have to wait much longer to see if this remake lives up to the hype!
In addition to Paper Mario and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Nintendo also announced a few new additions to the Game Boy library on Switch Online. A few fan favorites are coming to the service on March 12, 2024, including Dr. Mario, Mario Golf, and Mario Tennis. Anyone with a standard Nintendo Switch Online subscription can play these retro favorites for no extra cost.
A new Super Mario Bros movie is coming in April 2026
The highlight of the Mario Day 2024 presentation was Nintendo’s announcement for a second Super Mario Bros movie, slated to come out in the U.S. on April 3, 2026. Nintendo is working with Illumination, the same studio behind the first Super Mario Bros movie, so it’s safe to say it should be a hit.
Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto didn’t say much about the film’s story or villain, but he did give us a few hints. In the presentation, Miyamoto noted, “This time, we’re thinking about broadening Mario’s world further and it’ll have a bright and fun story.” That’s not much to speculate on, but it sounds like the next Mario film will have a similar tone to the first one, but a new setting. We’ll have to wait and see what part of the Mario universe Nintendo decides to explore next, but hopefully, it will bring in more characters from the franchise.
Chris Meledandri from Illumination also mentioned in the Mario Day 2024 presentation that the next Mario movie has the same directors as the first one, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. So, the next Mario movie may continue the story from the first one and bring back the original cast. However, we’ll have to stay tuned to find out for sure.
What about Switch 2 Mario games?
If you’re wondering why Nintendo doesn’t seem to be announcing any new Mario titles this year, the answer may have something to do with the Switch 2. The rumors circulating around the upcoming sequel to the Nintendo Switch continue to heat up. It’s possible Nintendo could finally unveil the Switch 2 sometime in late 2024 or early 2025.
So, Nintendo could be saving its next big Mario game to line up with the release of the Switch 2. Nintendo tends to use its star franchises to promote new consoles, so it’s practically guaranteed we’ll get a new Mario title when the Switch 2 launches. This may be why we’re getting so many remakes right now rather than new original titles – Nintendo’s devs are busy working on the first round of Switch 2 games.
If nothing else, Nintendo will likely release another Mario game before the next Super Mario Bros movie comes out in 2026. So, things may be a bit quiet right now, but we can expect Nintendo news to heat up the closer we get to 2025 and the imminent Switch 2 release. We’ll be keeping an eye on every new announcement and rumor from Nintendo, so stay tuned for further updates about the Switch 2, Mario, and more.
