It’s no secret how much Nintendo values Mario and the various other characters of the Mushroom Kingdom. Typically, you can expect a video game featuring the beloved plumber at least once a year, if not several times in one year. 2023 showed that in spades, as he had a 2D platformer and an RPG remake released, and both were big hits. 2024 is no different, as the icon has two games out right now, with a third on the way featuring his brother. So that begs the question, just how many titles with Mario are there on the Nintendo Switch?
Insider Stealth has the answer to that. Or, at least, he has it in part. As you can see below, he picked out the “prominent titles” featuring Mario and his family/friends, and they number 20 thanks to the release of Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door. If you take a gander at the titles present, you’ll see everything from platformers to party games to RPGs and more featuring not just the beloved plumber and his brother, but Princess Peach, Captain Toad, Donkey Kong and even Yoshi! That’s a lot of titles.
However, as fans noted, Stealth didn’t include the sports titles, the games with Wario, or all the party games. As such, we’re actually close to 30 titles on the Switch featuring the Mushroom Kingdom crew! Not to mention, we KNOW that there will be a Nintendo Direct in June, and that could mean even MORE titles featuring these characters could be announced or revealed to be in the works.
The question that might pop up now is, “Are the characters being used too much? Shouldn’t Nintendo focus on other franchises and characters?” That’s a bit tricky to answer. First off, all of the games listed here were million-sellers on the Switch. Every single one of them! It’s hard to argue against keeping them going when they’re bringing in money.
Second, they are expanding their roster in certain ways, like with how Princess Peach Showtime was the first solo title featuring the princess since the DS era! Not to mention, Luigi’s third title in his franchise was the best-seller of the lot despite the gap between entries. So, if nothing else, it’s working.
Furthermore, Nintendo knows that Mario is going to be even more popular now thanks to his billion-dollar movie that was released last year. As such, we’re likely getting even more titles featuring the Mushroom Kingdom gang in the future for both the Switch and its successor.