"Around half of the people who play this game do so in multiplayer mode."

I personally bought it because it looked like some innovation on the 2D Mario formula, which -to me- had become stale with New Super Mario Bros. The little I played multiplayer, I didn’t find it particularly great, mostly when players have very different level of skill. I think this might be a case of “correlation does not imply causation.” But what do I know 🤷

What’s a safe bet is -as the article says- the movie definitely helped boost sales, as it did with older titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

  • BrunachoEnglish
    6·
    10 months ago

    Personally I had some great and memorable experiences of collaboration in online multiplayer, and some forgettable experiences of just seeing the other players pass by and being meh about it like if they weren’t there.

    I definitely do not think the online multiplayer is a factor on the game success, I don’t think it affected the game success at all. Just being a refreshing 2d Mario game, and the Mario Movie is enough.

    I am not sure if the original quote of Shontaru Furukawa means online multiplayer or local multiplayer. The wording and context make me think of local multiplayer (“people can enjoy with family and friends during the year-end holiday season, when people get together”), but the half of the people playing multiplayer make me think of online multiplayer. The context of the interview (a Q&A by the end of fiscal year, for investors) make me think Furukawa is being vague on this on purpose.

    • discostjohn@programming.devEnglish
      3·
      10 months ago

      I fully agree with your assessment. The game had a great trailer, a groovy vibe, and was right on the back of the Mario movie. It would have been almost exactly as successful with the classic turn-taking multiplayer experience.

      It was cool to be able to play with friends and see the ghosts of randos, but it was a minor novelty, not a major selling point.