Could Nintendo Direct’s Super Mario announcements offer a clue for the LEGO theme?
Nintendo Direct was a big day for Mario and the gang – but could it mean anything for the future of LEGO Super Mario?
Nintendo Direct on June 21 was the source of several announcements for fans of Sonic, Mario, and much more. It was a particularly big day for the red-clad plumber and that’s got us thinking about what it could mean for the future of the LEGO Super Mario theme, coming after the news of the widespread retirement of all of the current sets.
The LEGO Group has kept quiet on what exactly this mass retirement means for the theme (although we have some thoughts and speculation of our own). Nonetheless, one of the possible reasons for it could be that the LEGO Super Mario designers are planning a complete rebrand of the theme. Personally, we’ve got our fingers crossed for Mario and the gang to be released as minifigures.
With that in mind, remakes were certainly the name of the game for the future of Mario at Nintendo. As well as a remake of the cult classic SNES Super Mario RPG, we’re also getting a remaster of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and returning to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the release of the Booster Course Pass Wave 5.
At the same time, the LEGO Group itself is in the era of the remake for its own nostalgic past. Could this be the perfect time, then, for the LEGO Group and Super Mario to restart the LEGO Super Mario theme with sets in keeping with the RPG’s new look, perhaps captured in minifigure form (although we might need big-figs for Bowser and Donkey Kong, at the very least).
Remakes aren’t the only thing that Nintendo has up its sleeve, however. Details are low on the ground, but it’s been confirmed that Peach will get her own game, where she’s the star, rather than the damsel in distress. Could the as-yet-untitled Princess Peach game be enough inspiration to release a Peach-focused theme for the possible LEGO Super Mario rebrand?
After all, this would be in keeping with the LEGO Group’s consistent focus on appealing to and empowering young girls, as seen through the recent Play Unstoppable campaign, backed by female footballers, and increased diversity in the LEGO Friends theme. Could a Peach-power LEGO Super Mario theme reframe the line of sets to appeal most to young girls – or indeed fans of the pink princess from any gender?
While a Peach-focused theme seems a bit far-fetched, the impact on the future of the LEGO Super Mario is quite likely. The LEGO Group will surely take its lead from Nintendo and where it takes Mario and the rest of the characters, so whatever the remake or new games look like, that could well feed into any future sets attached to the Mario brand.
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- I write about all the very best fandoms – and that means LEGO, of course. Spending so much time looking at and talking about LEGO sets is dangerous for my bank balance, but the LEGO shelves are thriving. You win some, you lose some.
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