Nintendo kicked off the early days of the Nintendo Switch with a bang. For one thing, the Switch had The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in its infancy, which got an overwhelmingly positive reception. Although the game broke the Zelda formula in a lot of ways, fans loved it. Coincidentally, Nintendo pulled off something similar with Super Mario Odyssey. Although Super Mario Odyssey introduced a ton of new worlds and characters while vastly expanding Mario's capabilities, Nintendo ended up with another blockbuster on its hands thanks to its willingness to take risks.
Super Mario Odyssey is such a solid game that it seems inevitable Nintendo will follow it up somehow. The game introduced too many interesting mechanics and compelling settings to go without a sequel, whether direct or indirect. Although Super Mario Odyssey 2 seems like an extremely safe bet for both Nintendo and speculating fans, it probably isn't going to crop up anytime soon. For one thing, Nintendo doesn't seem like it wants to focus on new Super Mario games in the near future. For another, Nintendo has enough going on right now that it might be impractical to focus on making Super Mario Odyssey 2 on top of everything else.
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Why Super Mario Odyssey 2 Seems Inevitable
There's a couple of good reasons that Nintendo will probably make another Super Mario Odyssey game in the next few years. One of them is simple: Fans loved Super Mario Odyssey. The latest 3D sandbox platformer in Super Mario's repertoire taught Mario all kinds of new tricks, especially new ways for Mario to jump that resulted in technically skilled Odyssey players coming up with useful jump combos. Odyssey also introduced Mario to Cappy, a curious new companion that allowed Mario to take control of his enemies and gain an extra footstool while platforming. Response to Super Mario Odyssey's new ideas was so positive it's only logical that Nintendo makes use of them in a second game sometime soon, probably within the Switch's lifetime.
There's also Nintendo's frequent production of sequels and subfranchises to take into account. When a Nintendo game does extremely well, the company doesn't often leave it alone. Breath of the Wild exemplifies that with the impending Breath of the Wild 2, a much-anticipated sequel coming exclusively to the Switch. Similarly, Nintendo jumped on the success of games like Splatoon and built on the risky ideas therein.
Nintendo's proclivity for producing sequels, as well as its knack for it, mean that Super Mario Odyssey 2 has to be on the table. Nintendo knows that Super Mario fans would love to get another game like Odyssey, so it'll probably cash in on that market. Super Mario has seen speedy sequels before with the likes of Super Mario Galaxy 2, so Odyssey could be similar.
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Why Super Mario Odyssey 2 Could Take a While
Even though Nintendo clearly isn't lacking motivation to make Super Mario Odyssey 2, it also has reasons to hold off. For one thing, Nintendo is busy. The aforementioned Breath of the Wild 2 is only one of its biggest projects meant to release in the near future. It also has a great many Pokemon games on the horizon, poised to impact the brand's future. There's also Metroid, Splatoon, and Bayonetta for Nintendo to think about, let alone all the other IPs it's supposedly making a game for, like Donkey Kong.
Super Mario is undeniably a huge part of Nintendo's brand – Nintendo essentially uses the Super Mario cast as mascots – but Nintendo isn't carried by Mario alone. It has a ton of other franchises, from Splatoon to The Legend of Zelda, that it has to help succeed. With so many games for these other franchises on the way, it's only natural that Nintendo has Mario take a back seat for a little bit. It wouldn't be particularly efficient to try to advertise and expand every single major Nintendo IP at the same time. It's best to pick and choose franchises as priorities so Nintendo can polish them to perfection.
Beyond efficiency and Nintendo's busy schedule, there's also the recent Super Mario celebration to think about. Nintendo already allowed Super Mario to take center stage via the temporary battle royale Super Mario Bros. 35 and the classic 3D platformer collection Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Nintendo can't be blamed for wanting to take a break from Super Mario for now. In fact, it seems like that might be its plan, based on the poll Nintendo recently put out asking fans if they want more Mario content. It seems Nintendo is sensitive to the major tide of Super Mario that it just unleashed, and so it might hold off on projects like a Super Mario Odyssey sequel.
Nintendo Should Get Around to Odyssey 2 Later
For the Super Mario superfans who really wanted to jump on another big-budget Mario platformer, it's a shame to think that the next game in the main series could be a few years away. Even so, such fans should hold onto hope that Super Mario Odyssey 2 is a matter of time. There's just too many good things about the game for Nintendo to leave it on the table completely. Someday, Nintendo will almost certainly produce an Odyssey sequel, or at the very least a spiritual successor that borrows and builds on many of Odyssey's ideas in a new Mario adventure.
The beauty of the Super Mario series is that the formula remains simple and accessible for fans no matter how many new building blocks that Mario games offer their successors. Even if it's far off, it's not hard to imagine that Super Mario Odyssey 2 will be just as welcome as the original game no matter what form it takes. For now, fans will just have to remain patient.
Super Mario Odyssey is available now for Nintendo Switch.
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