It’s a Mario? LEGO & Nintendo tease new partnership

The two companies hinted at a new project on social media. What could it be?
March 11, 2020

LEGO and Nintendo are jumping into a new Super Mario-focused project together, but the two companies are being very stingy with the details.

Both took to Twitter yesterday (which Nintendo calls Mar10 Day) with vague messages and a short seven-second clip, providing a glimpse of a LEGO version of Mario (pictured). But it’s unclear what this means for the mustachioed hero.

This new partnership could mean a new LEGO set and figures featuring Nintendo’s tentpole character are in the works. The video also hints at some digital element, with a scrolling question mark across his chest (inspired by an in-game element where Mario breaks boxes with that symbol on it), which could mean the figures will incorporate some tech twist, or perhaps even AR, which LEGO has been leaning into in the last few years.

Super Mario is the best-selling video game franchise of all time, and both companies have made a fair bit of money off of the video game business. It’s possible the companies could make a new game akin to titles such as Lego Star Wars or Lego Marvel Super Heroes, which tells the stories of popular existing characters, but with LEGO’s visual aesthetic. Nintendo’s Mario games are big sellers, and its Nintendo Switch games Super Mario Party and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe shipped 6.4 million units, and 7.4 million units worldwide, according to the company’s consolidated financial results for 2018 to 2019. Heading into the future, the Japanese conglom plans to keep building its gaming catalogue by rolling out two new Mario-themed games to mobile.

Mario is already featured in dozens of games, on every console Nintendo has ever produced, so a new video game for the Switch, which is relatively light on Mario-themed titles, could give the device another boost. While for LEGO, which according to its 2019 annual report is focusing on digitalization, and growth in Asia where Mario is already popular.

Nintendo has not yet responded to a request for comment, while a LEGO spokesperson said the company is declining to share more at this point.

About The Author
News editor for Kidscreen. Ryan covers tech, talent and general kids entertainment news, with a passion for kids rap content and video games. Have a story that's of interest to Kidscreen readers? Contact Ryan at rtuchow@brunico.com

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