Nintendo Mario franchise reflections

In July 2026, Nintendo veteran Shigeru Miyamoto discussed his favorite entries in the Super Mario series, highlighting Super Mario World for its mastery of 2‑D design and Super Mario 64 for its personal nostalgia. He noted that the current Switch platform may have exhausted the series' possibilities and pointed to the upcoming Switch 2 as a new challenge for creating a future Mario title.

A week later, media retrospectives ranked acclaimed Mario games such as Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Bros., emphasizing their design innovations and lasting influence. In a related interview, Miyamoto also reflected on the origins of The Legend of Zelda, describing how western PC role‑playing games inspired its non‑linear structure and save‑data mechanics, underscoring his ongoing role in shaping Nintendo’s flagship franchises.