This week, developers from around the world came together for an event dedicated to them. The Game Developers Conference was full of surprises, but not in the way we expected. While we learned more about the technologies coming to our video games, we also discovered some development secrets, just like the secrets of the set. Nintendo got in on the action and revealed how all the employees came together to brainstorm more than 2,000 ideas for the design of Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
The latest installment in the franchise has been one of the most popular titles of the end of 2023. Nominated in the Game of the Year category at The Game Awards, it has achieved impressive sales figures. More than 12 million units have been sold worldwide since its release. If the success of a Mario game is no longer so surprising, that of Wonder has a taste of rebirth.
A lot of ideas, very little used
During his presentation at the Game Developers Conference, game director Shiro Mouri declared that it was important for the studio to place the cursor on the innovation and reinvention of the famous mechanics of the Super Mario Bros saga. He explains that Nintendo wanted a game that was “full of secrets and mysteries“, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in years. All the components of Mario games had become so familiar that it was hard to reimagine them.
That’s why the company called on all the help it could get: “At Nintendo, we believe that everyone is a game designer,” he says. Every employee was able to pass on whatever ideas were on their minds. Even media such as sticky notes were allowed. The game design team ended up with over 2,000 original ideas. Only a few of these were allowed to be kept for testing.
One of the ideas that didn't make the cut was to turn Mario's head into a giant pile of blocks, reminiscent of the pixel-heavy aesthetic of the franchise's early games. While visually appealing, the developers concluded that the gameplay wouldn't support this perspective, which would force players to finish the internship as quickly as possible without taking the time to explore its many facets. Although aborted, an image of this possibility was shared during the conference showing its potential, but also its limits.
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