I have a question about that, actually. About 2 years ago I think, I saw mentions of that game possibly being made available to play on the Switch's SNES app, with a new sequel being released. I saw that the game's producer had said in an interview that before he retired, he'd absolutely love his last project to be a sequel. But since then, I've heard basically nothing about it.
Do you have any other news about this? Or is it just never going to happen because of rights issues with Square Enix?
I don't think it's totally unlikely, but there are a few issues that make it more difficult than simply making a new game called Totally Not Mario RPG.
For one, there's a lot of bitterness between Square and Nintendo. They started making PSX games after years of making flagship titles for the NES and SNES. In response, when Nintendo wanted to make what was functionally Mario RPG 2 - Superstar Saga - they went with another company: AlphaDream. To make matters worse, AlphaDream had a bunch of former Square employees in it, including Chihiro Fujioka, one of the directors of Mario RPG. So Nintendo basically responded to the breakup by dating Square's sister. And considering Square Enix is still lead by a number of the same Square people of that era, and considering Japanese culture, that's an issue.
There's also the fact that AlphaDream, despite having exclusive rights to the series, went bankrupt. It's possible that the formula is simply played out and no longer profitable. Or maybe we just need another few years for the winds to shift.
I wouldn't count it out, especially given how popular nostalgia games are, but I don't know how likely it is for Square and Nintendo to get along enough to make it not simply happen, but be as good as everyone expects. Considering how nicely the Enix side has been playing with Nintendo, I wouldn't be shocked if it happened, but I'd lean more on Nintendo simply developing another M&L in house.
I'm not sure if I wouldn't call Paper Mario a better successor to Super Mario RPG than the Mario & Luigi series, but it's just nitpicking at that point. It's true that Geno's most recent appearance was in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, even if I don't recall seeing Mallow or the Nimbus people anywhere since the SNES.
I never looked into AlphaDream before, so that was interesting information to know. You're saying that they had exclusive rights to the characters from Super Mario RPG? Square Enix doesn't have them? If so, then it sounds like they should be basically up for grabs. That'd be one major headache less.
Still, I don't know what they could do in a sequel. Smithy's dead. We've already explored Super Mario RPG's Mushroom Kingdom, as well as multiple other versions of the land in other games. Did we ever get an answer as to where Exor and the Smithy gang came from? That sword literally had an alternate dimension inside its mouth.
I have a question about that, actually. About 2 years ago I think, I saw mentions of that game possibly being made available to play on the Switch's SNES app, with a new sequel being released. I saw that the game's producer had said in an interview that before he retired, he'd absolutely love his last project to be a sequel. But since then, I've heard basically nothing about it.
Do you have any other news about this? Or is it just never going to happen because of rights issues with Square Enix?
I don't think it's totally unlikely, but there are a few issues that make it more difficult than simply making a new game called Totally Not Mario RPG.
For one, there's a lot of bitterness between Square and Nintendo. They started making PSX games after years of making flagship titles for the NES and SNES. In response, when Nintendo wanted to make what was functionally Mario RPG 2 - Superstar Saga - they went with another company: AlphaDream. To make matters worse, AlphaDream had a bunch of former Square employees in it, including Chihiro Fujioka, one of the directors of Mario RPG. So Nintendo basically responded to the breakup by dating Square's sister. And considering Square Enix is still lead by a number of the same Square people of that era, and considering Japanese culture, that's an issue.
There's also the fact that AlphaDream, despite having exclusive rights to the series, went bankrupt. It's possible that the formula is simply played out and no longer profitable. Or maybe we just need another few years for the winds to shift.
I wouldn't count it out, especially given how popular nostalgia games are, but I don't know how likely it is for Square and Nintendo to get along enough to make it not simply happen, but be as good as everyone expects. Considering how nicely the Enix side has been playing with Nintendo, I wouldn't be shocked if it happened, but I'd lean more on Nintendo simply developing another M&L in house.
I'm not sure if I wouldn't call Paper Mario a better successor to Super Mario RPG than the Mario & Luigi series, but it's just nitpicking at that point. It's true that Geno's most recent appearance was in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, even if I don't recall seeing Mallow or the Nimbus people anywhere since the SNES.
I never looked into AlphaDream before, so that was interesting information to know. You're saying that they had exclusive rights to the characters from Super Mario RPG? Square Enix doesn't have them? If so, then it sounds like they should be basically up for grabs. That'd be one major headache less.
Still, I don't know what they could do in a sequel. Smithy's dead. We've already explored Super Mario RPG's Mushroom Kingdom, as well as multiple other versions of the land in other games. Did we ever get an answer as to where Exor and the Smithy gang came from? That sword literally had an alternate dimension inside its mouth.