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Mario Almost Starred In Nintendo's Splatoon

by Matt Helgeson on Aug 28, 2014 at 02:33 PM

Nintendo's upcoming Wii multiplayer shooter Splatoon is a rarity for the company: a new IP. However, it was almost a Mario game.

In an interview with Edge magazine, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto revealed, "There were heated debates over who the main player character should be. Whether it should be Mario, or a squid. When we talked about the possibility of it being Mario, of course we could think of the advantages: anybody would be willing to touch it as soon as we announced that we had the new Mario game. But at the same time, we had some worries. If it were Mario, we wouldn't be able to create any new IP."

Obviously, the company opted to make Splatoon its own franchise. So far, it looks like it could be a pretty fun alternative to more serious shooters on the market. Watch the trailer below.

[Source: Edge via NintendoLife]

Our Take:
Nintendo made the right decision. While it's possible that the Mario name would have made it a more marketable game, the company needs to expand its scope beyond the usual suspects. Also the gameplay doesn't really seem like it belongs in a Mario game (although there is a slight parallel to Mario Sunshine).