It came as something of a shock for there to have been no new 3D Donkey Kong Bananza was a decent substitute, but there's really no perfect replacement for Mario during his eight-year mainline hiatus coming off of 2017's Super Mario Odyssey.

Speaking to CNN (via Nintendo Life), Bowser said to "stay tuned" for a successor to Super Mario Odyssey. "We have a long, long catalog, and a long list of [intellectual property] that I'm sure will make its way to the [Switch 2]." This isn't exactly outright confirmation of an 3D Mario, but "stay tuned" does have an air of urgency about it. Among all of Nintendo's iconic IP, Super Mario's 3D platformers are arguably the company's most important flagship series, so it was clearly only a matter of time until Odyssey saw a sequel on the new console.

It's Been 8 Years Since Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo EPD Has Been Busy Since

Long waits for a new 3D Super Mario aren't unheard of, but the eight-year span since Odyssey has been the longest. Odyssey itself came seven years after Super Mario Galaxy 2, which was the mainline series' quickest sequel, coming three years after Galaxy. The waits between 1996's Super Mario 64, 2002's Super Mario Sunshine, and 2007's Super Mario Galaxy were all notably lengthy. Ever-increasing development times for AAA games makes Mario's hiatus unsurprising, especially since its assumed developer has kept very busy in the years prior to the Switch 2.

Nintendo EPD is split into several divisions to work on many games at once, so it's difficult to know what's in development with Nintendo's notorious lack of transparency.

Odyssey was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD), and the same studio is likely working on its successor. However, EPD balances several projects and many of Nintendo's biggest games, including 2D platformer Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the excellent The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Splatoon 3, the latest in Nintendo's shooter series, in recent years. There is speculation that Nintendo EPD is responsible for Donkey Kong Bananza, but Nintendo has not yet clarified its exact development studio.

What Can We Expect From A 3D Mario On Switch 2?

Was Bowser's Fury A Test Run?

Ever since Super Mario 64 laid the groundwork, the mainline series has followed a rather straightforward formula, even if its gameplay is altered greatly by new mechanics. 64, Sunshine, both Galaxy games, and Odyssey all have disparate, self-contained levels, but Bowser's Fury, a standalone spin-off packaged with Super Mario 3D World's Switch rerelease, is arguably the most recent 3D Super Mario game we've gotten, and it made significant changes. While it's of a relatively modest size, Bowser's Fury is essentially an open-world 3D Mario, and could be a hint at how the series is evolving.

Bowser's Fury itself is now over four years old, having come out in early 2021, but it could be something of a tech demo for Odyssey's successor – if not one contiguous open world, then perhaps much larger levels than the series has featured thus far. Nintendo's flagship series have been indulging in open worlds since the start of the Switch era, with Breath of the Wild, TOTK, and even the Mario Kart World. Building on Bowser's Fury wouldn't be a surprise for Super Mario, but with Nintendo so secretive, it may be impossible to know until the next game is officially revealed.

Source: CNN (via Nintendo Life)