Shigeru Miyamoto has addressed speculation surrounding crossover elements in the Mario movie franchise, making it clear that Nintendo is not building toward a Super Smash Bros.-style shared universe.
Speaking about the approach to character inclusion in an interview with Polygon, Miyamoto said, “Right off the bat, I’ll say that unlike something like Super Smash Bros., I don’t think you’ll have a situation [where] all Nintendo characters would be joining. As you know, my rule is that Pikmin can appear in any [Nintendo] series.” His comments suggest that while crossovers may occur, they are not part of a coordinated long-term strategy involving multiple Nintendo properties.
He went on to describe how the development process for the films differs from the structured planning often associated with cinematic universes. “When you use the term universe, it conjures up for me this idea that there’s a group of really smart people in a room with charts up on a wall and they’re planning the next 10 years of how all the characters might be weaving in and out of movies,” Miyamoto explained, adding that “our process is actually very different from that.”
Instead, the inclusion of characters appears to be driven by creative discussions rather than long-term planning. He noted that ideas typically emerge from conversations about what might be enjoyable within specific scenes, explaining that it is “much more geared toward conversations about what would be fun within a certain scene in the movie.”
Reflecting on the development of the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Miyamoto also commented on the breadth of the franchise’s cast. He said, “As we’re working on this movie, I re-realized how varied and how multi-talented the Mario cast is,” recalling how suggestions from Illumination prompted him to revisit a wide range of characters.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie builds on the success of the 2023 release, expanding its scope with the introduction of Rosalina and the Lumas while leaning into a more cosmic setting. Despite early mixed critical reception, the film is expected to perform strongly at the box office, with projections pointing to a $350 million global opening.
