Super Mario Maker started life as Mario Paint for todays generation

Super Mario Maker really is something special; from its levels that parody videogame melodrama to the joys of adding a giant Bowser because... well, because, the latest gem from Nintendo is proving a perfect pairing with Wii U's gamepad. (In fact, why don't you check out these essential level creation tips while you're at it?) So, ever wondered where the idea came from? Well, you're in luck...

In the latest issue of GamesMaster, producer Takashi Tezuka reveals the the genesis of the game came from two very different sources. "For me, there are two roots," says Tezuka. "The first is that for a long time I’ve wanted to create a game like Mario Paint for today’s generation, where you can draw freely using the Wii U GamePad. I was concerned though that just showing your drawings to others ultimately doesn’t really constitute a game. The other is that the team handling creation of tools to support internal software production was testing a Mario course creation editor on the Wii U gamepad. They mentioned that creating your own courses like this was a lot of fun and wondered if it would be possible to turn it into a game. It was taking these two things together that led us to make Super Mario Maker.

The latest issue of GamesMaster, with 30 years of Super Mario on the cover is out now. Download it here or subscribe to future issues.

Dom has been a freelance journalist for many years, covering everything from video games to gaming peripherals. Dom has been playing games longer than he'd like to admit, but that hasn't stopped him amassing a small ego's worth of knowledge on all things Tekken, Yakuza and Assassin's Creed.