More Super Mario Galaxy games not ruled out, says Miyamoto

The upcoming launch of Super Mario 3D World for Wii U doesn't necessarily mean a shift in focus to multiplayer console Mario titles — Nintendo could make another Super Mario Galaxy game, according to designer Shigeru Miyamoto.

Speaking in a recent Iwata Asks feature, Miyamoto noted that both 3D World and the Galaxy games share a development team, and the existence of Super Mario 3D World doesn't mean the series can't return to the Galaxy storyline.

"Just so there is no misunderstanding, I should point out that this doesn't mean we'll never make another Super Mario Galaxy game," Miyamoto said.

"When we first started making Super Mario 3D World, Miyamoto-san asked me if this was going to be more like Super Mario Galaxy or more like Super Mario 3D Land," added producer Yoshiaki Koizumi. "When we made Super Mario 3D Land, we had our eyes on the form of this game, so we made it this way without any hesitation."

"The same team can't make both at the same time," Miyamoto said. "And we can't bring in a second party and slap the name Super Mario Galaxy on it. I suppose we could idealistically make both in Tokyo, but we want to do something new too, so there was that dilemma."

Miyamoto and design director Kenta Motokura said that the addition of Super Mario Galaxy's Princess Rosalina as an unlockable character was because of her popularity. Miyamoto noted that he initially wasn't a fan of Rosalina, but since fans like her it looks like she'll be sticking around.

"I was thinking about what would be pleasing after the ending and wanted to bring in another female character in addition to Princess Peach," Motokura said. "Rosalina has a following among the Super Mario Galaxy fanbase, and she's appeared in Mario Kart recently, so I think she's well known."

"When Super Mario Galaxy first came out, I was a little hung up on why Rosalina was showing up when Princess Peach was already there," Miyamoto added. "I thought it was fine as long as it was only Super Mario Galaxy, and we made her design so she's a little bigger. But all of a sudden she was a regular character in Mario Kart as just a regular girl, even her size turned to normal."