RIP Mario? Why the internet keeps talking about Nintendo Killing Mario

Mario passed away on March 31, 2021. At least that’s what big parts of the internet are saying, thanks to a meme that took hold of Nintendo’s sales practices. Depending on how closely you’ve followed Mario’s 35th birthday celebration, you might not understand why some people are talking about Nintendo’s death of one of its most iconic characters. Here is what is going on.

Why is Mario dying?

The short answer is: it isn’t. Mario is not going anywhere, and Nintendo has already announced Mario games that will be released in the coming months like Mario Golf: Super Rush. Obviously, Nintendo wouldn’t be ditching one of its most popular and recognizable characters, so we’ll be seeing Mario in the games for a while.

The longest answer is that while Mario probably isn’t going anywhere, some of his games certainly are. And that’s really where this snowball joke started to gain momentum.

Nintendo Limited Time Plan

In 2020, Nintendo celebrated Mario’s 35th birthday. To mark the occasion, it offered a series of exclusive merchandise like a Game & Watch Special Edition, in-game events in popular games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and two new releases of game: Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. 35.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a compilation for Nintendo Switch that includes three of Mario’s groundbreaking games: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Bros. 35, meanwhile, is a riff on the classic 8-bit Super Mario Bros., making it a multiplayer battle royale where players try to survive each other in a series of Mario stages. It is offered as a bonus for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, similar to Tetris 99.

But unlike Tetris 99, Super Mario Bros. 35 came with an expiration date. The same was true for Mario 3D All-Stars, the Game & Watch, and even other pieces from Mario’s anniversary merch. Nintendo has said that all of this will be pulled from stores on March 31. And the company appears committed, even indicating that it intends to remove physical copies of Super Mario 3D All-Stars from the shelves and the eShop. It’s unclear what the company will do with the remaining retail copies that won’t be sold.

Retailers would still have plenty of inventory and they’re unlikely to take them off the shelves, regardless of Nintendo’s limited-time plan. But once those copies run out, they won’t come back, and Nintendo has removed the games from its digital store. While owners of Super Mario 3D All-Stars can still play their copies, Super Mario 35 is unplayable now that its server support has been disabled.

Why is Nintendo doing this?

Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser said the move is meant to make Mario’s birthday special and unique. It’s not a strategy the company will adopt often, he says, but the time-limited element helps make Mario’s birthday an event.

“Super Mario 3D All-Stars has sold over 2.6 million in the United States alone,” added Bowser. “And so clearly, consumers were able to jump in and enjoy it. And it’s not a strategy we’re going to use widely, but it’s a strategy that we thought was very unique for this anniversary.

There has been speculation and criticism among some fans that the Limited Time Offer is to push artificial scarcity. There is no indication that this is an intentional move on Nintendo’s part, but intentional or not, it seems to work. GamesIndustry.biz reports that sales of Mario 3D All-Stars have increased in its last week on the market, according to UK sales charts. Some fans are clearly worried that they won’t have another chance.

Fans have also speculated that Nintendo may bring these games back, in a new context removed from Mario’s 35th birthday. This could mean offering the 3D All-Stars games individually on the eShop, for example, making the compilation package itself the anniversary exclusive.

But the Memes

Regardless of what happens next, the internet has dubbed the date Mario’s public execution. Partly to poke fun at Nintendo for the harsh decision to kill games that customers might want, it was referred to as the day Mario died. And even though he’s really not going anywhere, the memes continue.

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