E3 is approaching very quickly, and considering how last year's show didn't go as planned – or at all – it seems a lot of video game developers and publishers are pulling out all the stops for 2021. Perhaps the one company with the most on its plate has been Nintendo, as news of the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro and anticipation for Breath of the Wild 2 has given the company's E3 showcase an astounding amount of anticipation. It's hard to imagine what else Nintendo could surprise fans with at this point, but the answer could lie in the Super Mario series.
Mario fans haven't gotten a new Super Mario title since Super Mario Odyssey released towards the beginning of the Switch's lifecycle, so it's fair to say that the portly plumber is due for another installment. With how successful Odyssey proved to be with fans, Nintendo will likely go even bigger for one of its flagship franchises. The company has been pretty silent about any future installments, however, so it begs the question of whether or not there really is a new Super Mario title coming in the near future. If it turns out that fans are getting a new Super Mario title, E3 would certainly be the place to surprise fans with an announcement.
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If Mario didn't make any kind of appearance during Nintendo's E3 presentation, it would be a pretty surprising change of pace from other presentations. The mustachioed hero of the Mushroom Kingdom usually pops up in one way or another during Nintendo Directs, and the E3 Direct that Nintendo has planned will likely get the more attention that other Directs have gotten in a while. Announcing a new Super Mario title at E3 would give the game a lot of attention fast, and it would prevent any lesser announcement from falling by the wayside.
If a new Super Mario game is coming at E3, Nintendo has been pretty tight-lipped about it. The only leaks or rumors regarding a new installment recently came in the form of a leak from notable leaker Zippo. The leak had more to say about a potential new Mario Kart game, but it did say that there would be a follow-up to Super Mario Odyssey. The announcement of a sequel to the critically-acclaimed title would certainly be an exclamation point on a potentially stellar E3 presentation. It would also follow in the theme of highly-anticipated sequels for the event, like Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4.
One of the primary things working both for and against a new Super Mario title showing up at E3 is just how silent Nintendo has been regarding the franchise. Mario himself is coming off of the recent success of Super Mario 3D World+Bowser's Fury, so it does make sense to let that game breathe and gather sales. But at the same time, Super Mario Odyssey was such a huge success that it would make sense for Nintendo to jump on some kind of sequel as soon as possible. The company did as much with Breath of the Wild, so it would just be odd for Nintendo to not do the same with one of the most recognizable faces in video games.
It should be said that this is all speculation, and with how many rumors run rampant this close to E3, it could be the case that Nintendo has no major plans for the Super Mario series this year. The priority for the company and many fans alike appears to be towards Breath of the Wild 2, so it's likely that will receive the most attention during the presentation. For the sake of Super Mario fans, hopefully, there will be at least one bit of information on the next major return to the Mushroom Kingdom.