Switch 2 Has No Mario Game Yet — A Nintendo First

Nintendo's Switch 2 has been out for over a year now, and we just sat through a Direct packed to the brim with Switch 2 games. But here's the thing that's starting to feel a little weird: where the heck is Mario?

Think about it. Nintendo has basically handed every other major character a spot on its new console. Donkey Kong got Bananza. Yoshi's got Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Splatoon has Splatoon Raiders. We've got Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on the way. There's a beefed-up Pikmin 4 port, a Switch 2 Edition of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon Pokopia for the Pokémon fans, and even Star Fox is getting a new game.

So yeah, everyone's invited to the Switch 2 party — except the guy whose name is practically on the guest list. Nintendo still hasn't announced a proper 3D Mario game for the system. And according to Kotaku, this is actually the first time in Mario's entire history that a new Nintendo console has gone this long without a mainline Mario title.

Let's put that into perspective. Super Mario 64 launched day one with the Nintendo 64. Super Mario Sunshine hit nine months after the GameCube in the US. Super Mario Galaxy arrived 12 months after the Wii. Super Mario 3D World came 12 months after the Wii U. And Super Mario Odyssey? Just seven months after the Switch. Seven months!

Now we're sitting here with a Switch 2 that's been on shelves for over a year, and not even a whisper of a new 3D Mario. The recent Direct barely mentioned the original Switch at all, and Nintendo seems fully focused on the future — just not on its most famous plumber.

Kotaku put it pretty perfectly: "The Switch 2 is a fantastic console, and I'm having a great time with it, but for me, it won't feel truly complete until it has its own superstar." Honestly, it's hard to argue with that. Mario is Nintendo's mascot, its icon, the character that built the house. A Nintendo console without a new Mario game feels like a pizza without cheese — technically still food, but why would you do that to yourself?

Of course, Nintendo is probably cooking something. A new 3D Mario is almost certainly in development somewhere deep inside the Kyoto headquarters. But the silence is getting loud, and fans are getting antsy. Every Direct that passes without a Mario reveal feels like a missed opportunity.

So what do you think? Is Nintendo saving Mario for a massive launch window surprise, or are they just taking their sweet time? Drop a comment and let us know how you're feeling about the Mario-less Switch 2 era.