Super Mario Galaxy’s Back-to-Back Announcements Might Just…

The recent Nintendo Direct was expected to be something special for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the Nintendo Direct was an hour long, making it the longest Direct ever besides the one on April 2 that dove into the Nintendo Switch 2. Second, the Direct was held on Friday, September 12, which landed a day before Super Mario Bros.’ 40th anniversary. Indeed, Super Mario Bros. Was originally released in Japan on September 13, 1985, and the abrupt announcement of a Nintendo Direct scheduled in proximity to that anniversary transparently expressed that there was sure to be a reveal of some kind related to Mario.

Nintendo took this opportunity to chiefly promote a brand-new Mario movie, unambiguously titled The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. It’s neat that fans can look forward to a movie based even loosely around the Super Mario Galaxy games, perhaps similarly to how Fallout’s second season on Prime is explicitly paying tribute to and possibly adapting elements of Fallout: New Vegas. That said, alongside Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel making their way to Nintendo Switch, there may yet be hope left for a new Galaxy game, and Nintendo would be remiss not to take advantage of the series’ resurgence.

Super Mario Bros.’ 40th Anniversary Was a Galaxy Celebration Above All Else

Super Mario Galaxy Switch Collection is Expensive

The biggest game-related Mario reveal at the Nintendo Direct on September 12 was that Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are being ported to Nintendo Switch with a free Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade—available separately on the Nintendo eShop or bundled together as a physical copy via Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2—on October 2. So, with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie leaning heavily on this duology, it’s interesting how the ubiquitously celebratory nature of Super Mario Bros.’ 40th anniversary swiftly became all about Galaxy in particular.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars featured Super Mario Galaxy (bundling Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy). Fortunately, players who’ve snagged that collection can purchase the digital Nintendo Switch version of Super Mario Galaxy 2 separately.

Therefore, it isn’t at all surprising that it has stirred attention and discourse around the games themselves, such as whether or not a Super Mario Galaxy 3 is secretly in development. Aside from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie being released on April 3, 2026, and April 24, 2026, in the US and Japan, respectively, as well as the Super Mario Galaxy games arriving soon on Nintendo Switch, the following Mario-related reveals made at the September 12 Nintendo Direct include:

Mario Tennis Fever, the newest Mario Tennis sports game
A Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder with “new multiplayer-focused additions”
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 amiibo figures and Rosalina’s Storybook “with an illustrated hardcover edition”

Super Mario Galaxy 3 May Not Have Been Revealed, But It’s Not Off the Table

Regarding 3D Mario games that launched on Nintendo Switch, players have feasted on Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. A Super Mario Odyssey sequel has long been hotly anticipated to no avail, though Donkey Kong Bananza is arguably a spiritual successor to it.

Seeing as Nintendo is obviously doubling down on Galaxy, it’d make sense if its battle plan was to release modern ports of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 well before a Super Mario Galaxy movie, which could then be followed by a Super Mario Galaxy 3 that’s exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. Plus, there may even be a subtle—or not-so-subtle—hint that more in the Galaxy series is imminent. At the end of the Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 trailer, a quote appears on-screen that reads:

“Goodbye to those we met on this journey. I will cherish the memories forever.

And to those we will meet on the next journey, hello.”

The quote playing such a prominent role at the tail-end of the trailer could be a deliberate segue into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, but this being what may well turn out to be a Super Mario Galaxy 3 tease could be phenomenal. However, the arguments as to why this may or may not be a bit of Super Mario Galaxy 3 foreshadowing in disguise are not equal:

The ‘Copium’ Case for Nintendo Teasing a Super Mario Galaxy 3

To release a movie called The Super Mario Galaxy Movie without any plans to revive the games’ franchise would be bewildering, to say the least.
The trailer’s quote being such a focal point would suggest that Nintendo wants fans to keep their eyes peeled for some future announcement concerning the Galaxy series.

The Case Against Nintendo Teasing a Super Mario Galaxy 3

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is 15 years old, and if Nintendo wanted to make a new Galaxy game, it could have by now.
Super Mario Galaxy 3 would’ve made a massive splash at the September 12 Nintendo Direct in tandem with a movie inspired by the Super Mario Galaxy games, and no news of it there could suggest that there isn’t hope for a threequel.
Super Mario Odyssey, if anything, is expected to be what Nintendo follows through on for a new 3D Mario game, rather than substantially exhuming Super Mario Galaxy.
If pricey Nintendo Switch ports were guaranteed precursors of an installment or series revival, the argument could also be made that a Sunshine sequel should be on the horizon, thanks to its inclusion in Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

The September 12 Nintendo Direct would’ve debatably been the best time to announce such a game due to how Galaxy-focused it became. But, if legitimate, it may be years away from a release and banking on the movie’s pre-release marketing to further capitalize on renewed vigor for the franchise. Either way, Super Mario Galaxy is back in a considerable way, and it’ll be exciting to see if something comes of it beyond a movie and two Nintendo Switch ports.

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