It looks like Nintendo's legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto will be taking his hands off of the Mario franchise once Super Mario 3D World is out the door.
Speaking with Gamekult, Miyamoto explained that while the Italian plumber is very near and dear to his heart, he'd like to pursue smaller projects going forward, and working with Mario would just eat up too much of his time.
Creating a Mario of 3D World's calibre demands enormous energy and there is little chance that I'd be able to take the time necessary to work on the next Mario. Instead, I want to get involved more heavily in the development of new, smaller-scale projects, but that doesn't necessarily mean just modest downloadable titles.
It's not impossible that I'll present a new game as principal creator in the future, but even though I'm not directly in charge of a project, I'm always keeping an eye on what the teams are doing in terms of gameplay and I have confidence in them.
Don't worry about Mario!
Do you think the younger minds at Nintendo are capable of carrying on the Mario franchise without Miyamoto's direct guidance? Where do you hope the franchise goes following the release of Super Mario 3D World? Be sure to comment below and let us know.
Super Mario 3D World launches on November 22nd, exclusively for Wii U.
