Super Mario Bros. creator won't work on future Super Mario games
Say it ain't so! Super Mario Bros. creator and popular Nintendo icon Shigeru Miyamoto recently told a French outlet that he wants to step away from future Super Mario Bros. games. In Miyamoto's own words, he told Gamekult:
"Creating a Mario of [Super Mario] 3D World's calibre demands enormous energy and there is little chance that I'd be able to take the time necessary to work on the next Mario. Instead, I want to get involved more heavily in the development of new, smaller-scale projects, but that doesn't necessarily mean just modest downloadable titles. It's not impossible that I'll present a new game as principal creator in the future, but even though I'm not directly in charge of a project, I'm always keeping an eye on what the teams are doing in terms of gameplay and I have confidence in them. Don't worry about Mario!"
I've honestly never been a huge Super Mario Bros. fan (my blood is Sonic the Hedgehog blue), but you'd be hard-pressed to find a gamer who can't understand Mario and Miyamoto's legacy and influence on all video games. While it's true that he's found himself in smaller roles over recent years, it's difficult to imagine a Super Mario Bros. game without Miyamoto's direct presence guiding the game. However, it's great to see his interest being drawn to smaller-scale games, especially with the rise of indie games over the current/last generation of gaming.
[via IGN]
Pokemon X and Pokemon Y sold 4,000,000 copies over the weekend
Ever since Pocket Monsters: Red and Pocket Monsters: Green launched in Japan in 1996 (Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue in the US in 1998), it seems like the craze has barely died down for the franchise all about catching them all. After 15 years and six main sequels (not to mention the direct sequels and spin-offs), Pokemon is just as much the powerhouse it has been since its release.
With the latest games in the series, Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, released over this past weekend, the franchise demonstrated just how popular it really is. Earlier today, Nintendo issued a press release lauding Pokemon X and Pokemon Y for selling more than four million units in its first two days across the US, Asia, and Europe. The staggering launch numbers are thanks to Pokemon's first-ever worldwide launch, as well as the franchise staple of releasing two different versions at a time.
Nintendo also released lifetime sales for previous Pokemon games. The most successful entries were Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl with 17.63m, followed by Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire with 16.22m, Pokemon Black and Pokemon White with 15.42m, Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver with 12.67m, and Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen with 12m.
[via Destructoid]
Imagi's The Legend of Zelda film pitch
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In 2007, Imagi Animation Studios created a sizzle reel for Nintendo to pitch a CGI The Legend of Zelda film adaptation. As history dictates, nothing came of the film, but the footage was recently released for the public to see. The "trailer" of sorts feature Zelda hero Link, antagonist Ganondorf, and the titular Zelda herself. Imagi's typical style of long, non-proportional bodies used in the TMNT film were used for the Zelda pitch. However, the character designs themselves were mature and definitely fitting of the contemporary Zelda game of the time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
I can understand Nintendo's hesitance to return to Hollywood considering their first foray into films, the Super Mario Bros. adaptation, had as little to do with the popular video game franchise as much as it had any resemblance of a good film. Still, if any Nintendo franchise were to deserve a film adaptation, the Zelda IP would be the most likely to receive a good treatment. Will we ever see a Legend of Zelda film? Probably not, but at least there's some interest in the property in Hollywood.
[via Destructoid]