Nintendo Attributes Success of Super Mario Bros. Wonder To Multiplayer

Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. Wonder thrives with multiplayer, according to a Q&A.
By: - Published:
Super Mario Bros Wonder Course Clear Luigi Mushroom
Image: Nintendo

Nintendo’s latest success story, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, seems to owe this huge ride to its multiplayer feature. The platformer, which recently became the fastest-selling Super Mario title in history, has seen an unprecedented surge in sales, moving over 10 million copies in under three months.

Shuntaro Furukawa, President, Representative Director, and Member of the Board, revealed this during an investor Q&A. The company believes that the multiplayer component has played a pivotal role in the game’s remarkable performance. Furukawa said that around half of the players enjoy this game in multiplayer mode, making it a fitting choice for the holiday season when people gather with family and friends.

Furthermore, Nintendo’s third-quarter fiscal report unveiled that the Switch is closing on 140 million lifetime sales. Despite a slight dip in hardware sales in the console’s seventh year on the market, the Switch family achieved a record 122 million annual playing users in 2023. This signifies sustained engagement with the platform, showcasing its enduring popularity.

“… I think another factor is that it is a title that can be played by two or more people. Around half of the people who play this game do so in multiplayer mode, so I think the title suited the need for a game that many people can enjoy with family and friends during the year-end holiday season, when people get together.”

Shuntaro Furukawa

In addition to the multiplayer enchantment, Furukawa suggested that the performance of The Super Mario Bros. Movie may have influenced the success of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Although the movie’s theatrical run has concluded, its availability for streaming continues to attract new viewers, potentially contributing to the game’s ongoing sales momentum.

The Q&A session also touched upon the impact of initiatives beyond traditional hardware and software sales. Furukawa acknowledged a significant increase in revenue from mobile and IP-related businesses, attributing this growth in part to the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He noted that the rise in smart-device application downloads and active users for titles like Super Mario Run and Mario Kart Tour can be partly credited to the movie’s influence.

It sounds like this was just the perfect way for things to go for Nintendo.

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar, also known as Aggy, is the current Assigning Editor.

He started his career as an esports, influencer, and streaming writer for Sportskeeda. He then moved to GFinity Esports to cover streaming, games, guides, and news before moving to the Social team where he ended his time as the Lead of Social Content.

He also worked a writer and editor for both Pro Game Guides and Dot Esports, and as a writer for PC Invasion, Attack of the Fanboy, and Android Police. Aggy is the former Managing Editor and Operations Overseer of N4G Unlocked and a former Gaming editor for WePC.

Throughout his time in the industry, he's trained over 100 writers, written thousands of articles on multiple sites, written more reviews than he cares to count, and edited tens of thousands of articles. He has also written some games published by Tales, some books, and a comic sold to Telus International.

Comments

Leave a Comment

All comments go through a moderation process, and should be approved in a timely manner. To see why your comment might not have been approved, check out our Comment Rules page!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.