Super Mario RPG director wants their final game to be another Mario RPG, and has some ideas

Paper Mario: Origami King
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Super Mario RPG director has said they "would absolutely love to" make another Mario RPG as their final game.

When asked in an interview with YouTube channel MinnMax if they were eager to make another Mario RPG game, Chihiro Fujioka said: "I would absolutely love to make one" before further explaining by adding: "In my career, I’ve been involved in a lot of games and I would really like my final one to be another Mario RPG if possible."

As for how this theoretical new Mario RPG would work in a post-Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi world (both games inspired by the original Mario RPG), Fujioka replied: "I think Mario and Luigi is cool but I’d like to go back and create a Mario RPG where you’re only controlling Mario." If you’re wondering if the video game director has any ideas for this game well, as they revealed during the interview, "that’s a secret."

If this is the first time you’re hearing about a Super Mario RPG, here’s what you need to know. Originally released on the SNES in 1996, Super Mario RPG - also known as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - was the final game published for the console and was worked on by not only Fujioka but also produced by Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto and scored by Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy composer Yoko Shimomura. 

Speaking of Final Fantasy, Super Mario RPG was developed by Square Enix (back when it was just called Square) and published by Nintendo. This makes more sense when you realize the game was designed like a classic RPG - in comparison to Mario’s platforming games - and saw Mario and friends team up in a traditional party formation to take part in turn-based battles. 

Super Mario RPGs aside, want to know what Nintendo is officially working on? Take a look at our list of upcoming Switch games.

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.