More Mario isn’t a problem, says Nintendo

Nintendo has been putting its iconic plumber to work lately.

Mario recently starred in Super Mario 3D Land for 3DS, now New Super Mario Bros. 2, and soon New Super Mario Bros. U. Is the company at risk of tiring out its main star entirely?

Not according to Nintendo.

"And that's because our developers — starting with Mr. Miyamoto and going through the entire EAD development organization — they understand the power of our franchises, and they understand that the only reason these franchises have the power that they do is that they have to make sure that each subsequent edition is unique, different, and offers something new," said Nintendo of America president and chief-executive-officer Reggie Fils-Aime in an interview with GamesIndustry International. "They know that if they don't do that, we'll kill the golden goose that lays the golden egg. So it's something they are highly cognizant of, and even the executives on the business side — we hold that IP very dearly to make sure that every edition in the series is foundationally sound."

Do you think Nintendo could overuse the Mario franchise to the point that it loses an audience? Are you impressed with the recent lineup?

Follow @wita on Twitter for tales of superheroes, plumbers in overalls, and literary adventures.