The advertising practically feels hostile to people who don't want to touch the level editor, as the ads make level creation seem like the sole appeal of SMM2.

I'm no good at building levels.' So many people got the impression from Nintendo's marketing that this was a game for level designers and not for people who just like playing Mario games. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from friends, 'I'm not interested in Super Mario Maker 2. The online multiplayer and ability to play endless courses online are not even acknowledged. The 100-level story mode is a footnote at best. This is where I think the marketing went all wrong and is what prevented this game from selling over 10 million units: it looks exclusively like a level editor and that you can only share your levels locally. Take a look at the official TV spots for Super Mario Maker 2:ĭo you notice something about these commercials, specifically the US ones? There's an enormous focus on the course-building and local multiplayer aspect, but barely, if any acknowledgement whatsoever that you don't have to actually build a single course to get infinite play value out of the game. How could a Mario game with infinite replay value and a never-ending supply of courses to play alone and with friends not even touch the top 10 best-selling Switch games list three and a half years later? And why did interest in it decline so badly? I believe there are two major reasons why, and it all comes down to not the game itself, but how Nintendo supported and presented it. U Deluxe, an old Wii U game with finite levels, sold considerably better at 13.3 million units, and something starts to feel a bit amiss.

Then you look at how New Super Mario Bros. Certainly not a bad number by any stretch, but it seems quite low when you consider just how much play value it offers. However, since its release in 2019, it has kind of fallen by the wayside, and most people don't seem to play it or even talk about it much these days.Ĭurrently, Super Mario Maker 2 has sold a little under 8 million units. It feels like the possibilities for players and creators are almost infinite, as it is bursting with fun and creative ideas and an overall love for all things Mario. Now that all of the updates are out (more on that later), the sheer volume of content available is enormous. I consider it to easily be a top 10, if not top 5 Nintendo Switch game. Let me start off by saying that Super Mario Maker 2 is an amazing game.

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