Nintendo America President Doug Bowser Explains Why Some Mario Titles Will Be Removed After March 31st, 2021

Earlier this year, Nintendo announced several titles and products to celebrate Mario’s 35th Anniversary, some of which will not be available after March 31st 2021.

The games and products that will no longer be playable or purchasable after March 31st include Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. 35, a move which has garnered mixed reception from fans.

In a recent interview with Polygon, Nintendo Of America President Doug Bowser provided some insight into Nintendo’s decision. In essence, this limited time approach is one “unique way” that they are celebrating the anniversary, and not a strategy they plan to use frequently.

You can read his full comments on the subject below:

Yeah, I think I use a simple word: celebration. It just — this is a celebration of Mario’s 35th anniversary. And we wanted to celebrate in unique and different ways, and we’ve done that through games like Super Mario 3D All-Stars, or we will be doing that through future releases, such as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.

And then we’ve also done it through releases such as Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros., or through Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. There are various ways that we’re celebrating Mario’s 35th. And with some of these titles, we felt it was an opportunity to release them for a limited period of time. They’ve done very, very well. Super Mario 3D All-Stars has sold over 2.6 million units in the U.S. alone. And so clearly, consumers have been able to jump in and enjoy that. And it’s not strategy that we’re going to be using widely, but it’s one we thought was very unique for the actual anniversary.

…at this point, the decision was really made around that celebration feature and aspect. I can’t speak to plans beyond the the end of March.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.