„Like rolling up snow for a snowman.” Shigeru Miyamoto shares the secret of Super Mario’s immortality

by

A well-known figure in the gaming industry used the analogy of building a snowman to explain why Mario has become so popular and successful.

Whether you’re a Nintendo fan or not, it’s hard to deny that Mario is a hugely recognizable figure in video game history. For more than 40 years, this famous character – often described as a plumber – has been featured in tons of games and appears in all sorts of other media.

It’s not surprising that the creators of Super Mario – including designer Shigeru Miyamoto (who is considered Mario’s ‘father’), Takashi Tezuka, Koji Kondo, and Toshiko Nakago – all believe Nintendo’s famous mascot will still be popular even on the game’s 100th anniversary, according to the Nintendo Museum Official Book released for the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. (via Games Radar).

100 years of Mario

Tezuka acknowledges that aiming for a century of Mario might seem like a stretch. The video game industry is relatively new, and many game franchises haven’t lasted long, even in just the last few decades. However, the team is constantly considering how to keep Mario engaging and relevant. Tezuka emphasizes that what people find fun changes over time, and Mario has the potential to evolve and offer even more enjoyment in the future.

Miyamoto explained that Nintendo wants to use new digital technology when it’s exciting, but also to keep Mario engaging and available digitally. He noted that the Mario brand is growing beyond games, like with the new movies.

A Japanese creator described the experience of playing Mario as similar to building a snowman – starting small and having the fun grow with each addition, like rolling a snowball. Koji Kondo, the composer, hopes to continue creating music for the Mario series for years to come.

This idea of game development applying new approaches isn’t limited to just the Mario series. Ken Watanabe, who used to program for Nintendo, recently noted that the company doesn’t need to create entirely new franchises to deliver fresh gameplay experiences. A good example is Donkey Kong Bananza—while part of a long-running series, it offers something quite different from previous Donkey Kong games.

Read More

2025-10-29 17:02