**TL;DR The Mario Franchise has failed to modernise with the gaming industry. Each new game incorporates the same mechanics and storyline. After 35 years, people are sick and tired of Mario.** Nintendo are currently celebrating the [35th anniversary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros._35th_Anniversary) of Super Mario Bros. Yet, after over three decades of fame in the video game world – I believe that the Mario Franchise no longer holds the same relevancy as it has failed to adjust to the new gaming world. The Mario Franchise originally acted as an inspiration for other gaming franchises around the world. The game was first regarded as a feat of technological genius and through Nintendo the series’ technology developed with the times, notably changing from a 2D scroller to a 3D game in the 1990s. However, in more recent times Nintendo has failed to create a new game for the character which incorporates the elements and expectations of modern gameplay. Today online gameplay is a core element of the most popular games on the market, but the Mario franchise only provides few opportunities to play with your friends or online, and when you can the services are weak and unreliable. Every Mario game reintroduces players to the same kinds of environments to fight the same enemies to save the same princess from the same villain. Although I understand that many video game franchises do use the same elements throughout their series, they often build on the core game mechanics or change the story drastically between the different games – and Mario games do not do this enough. Nintendo plays their Mario franchise too safe, rarely making any drastic changes to the mechanics and style of their games even as technological developments advance. If the Mario franchise continues to fail to adapt to what the modern gaming world is looking for, I can see it becoming irrelevant in the same way the Nintendo as a company will likely do.

**TL;DR – From Mario’s classic red hat and blue overalls to his brother Luigi’s classic green hat and blue overalls, Mario Bros is known as one of the most iconic games of all time. Even today, people from all over the world still relate to this game so much that the Mario franchise cannot possibly be considered boring or irrelevant.** [Mario, a prolific plumber is one of the most recognizable video game characters of all-time]( https://za.ign.com/new-super-mario-bros/139282/feature/how-mario-outsells-every-other-game-franchise). In fact, *as of 2018 it’s estimated that the Mario franchise has grossed over $30 Billion in revenue – which is almost as much as Call of Duty, Halo, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft and Fortnite have generated combined.* Furthermore, *Mario owns the title for the best-selling video game franchise of all time – selling more than 620 million copies of games across the globe.* One reference, to better understand this can be drawn in comparison to the Pokémon franchise – which has sold about half as many copies. Another reference to better understand Mario’s success can be seen when comparing the top 20 most-successful home movie sales of all time. This includes classics like The Lion King, Titanic, Avatar and Jurassic Park, which all add up to an estimated 548 million copies sold. Revealing to us, that Mario alone is more successful than this entire list of movies from a home sales standpoint. Additionally, *the Mario franchise has moved over 920 million titles altogether.* What's more, Matthew Adler, a freelance journalist reveals to us in a very candid statement why the Mario franchise cannot possibly be considered boring or irrelevant: “If Mario were a country, he’d be one of the Top 100 most-valuable countries in the world.” It’s evident that the Mario franchise is not going anywhere anytime soon. The fact that he represents the average, everyday person is also, what most likely adds to the iconic nature of this character and game – making it more appealing and relatable on almost every level. Pun intended.

**Nintendo recently opened Super Nintendo World in Osaka Japan, which incorporates many famous characters from games such as Mario, Princess Peach and Luigi. This park is very interactive and already extremely popular with older and younger people internationally, has mushroom themed foods and is definitely not boring!** Super Nintendo World celebrates the Super Mario franchise in all its colourful, randomly hilarious glory and remains relevant through offering visitors a unique experience that is high tech and unseen in theme parks before: "power-up bands" which let you play against other park guests and upload your scored points to your home gaming Nintendo device. This theme park was supposed to open before the 2020 Olympics as a huge attraction for global tourists, but the opening got postponed due to covid-19. This in itself shows how much the franchise still relates to people today as it was clearly going to sit centre stage for the tourism industry in Japan! Also none of the Mario games I have ever played have been so difficult to understand that I find myself bored - they are always at the optimum sweet spot between challenging and rewarding!

**TL;DR- The Mario franchise used to be good, but I think it's been dragged out for way too long now, and as a result has lost it's novelty. However, one part of the Mario universe is still fun and I think it will stay a popular classic for a long while yet- Mario Kart!** The world of Super Mario has been going strong since the '80s, and in 2021, Nintendo announced a new *Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury* for the Switch, as well as another Mario golf game. While many people may be excited about these new games, I can't help but feel as if they've been done before, and are getting quite repetitive. The whole 3D World segment of the Mario universe was never that exciting to begin with as it was pretty similar to 2D Mario games (with same old mushrooms and coins and Princess Peach getting kidnapped by Bowser over and over...). The 3D trend as a whole was a little short lived anyway, with the Nintendo 3DS, which then became a 2DS as people tended to prefer games without any 3D effects. Mario playing golf is also nothing new, with him and his friends having featured in many sport-related Mario games before, such as the *Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games*, and *Mario Tennis*, along with so, so many more- at least over 20. The Mario Kart part of the Mario franchise, on the other hand, is timeless- it's so well known and so many people have played it. It doesn't get constantly rebooted (although has been a few times just to catch up with different Nintendo consoles) and is usually a go-to for groups of people wishing to play a video game together. With no levels or monsters to fight, the game can be played again and again even after you've unlocked everything, and the novelty doesn't wear off. There's always something new when playing Mario Kart, with no two races being the same. The competitiveness is what keeps it alive and exciting, whether you're trying to beat your friends and family, gamers from all around the world, or just very frustrating computer generated tortoises. Mario Kart is by far the most exciting Mario game Nintendo have ever produced, and unlike their other Mario games, will never get dull. As well as, *Super Princess Peach* on the DS, which is another criminally underrated game in the Mario franchise.

Each new Mario game always adds new fundamental mechanics and challenges while retaining the core spirit of a platformer. Also Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, Mario XCOM (Rabbids), and every 3D Mario game. But yea, no one likes Mario Party.

The Mario Franchise is soul crushingly boring to me yet DEPRESSINGLY relevant to the industry.