Chihiro Fujioka, one of the directors on the original Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES, has said that he was “surprised” by the announcement of the remake and shared he is “not involved” in its development.
- READ MORE: ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ review: plucky plumbers’ new adventure should have stayed a pipe dream
Responding to a fan on Twitter, Fujioka said he is “not involved in the remake.” However, he is “very surprised and pleased with the news” and that he is “looking forward to November” when Nintendo‘s Super Mario RPG remake is expected to land on the Switch.
I am not involved in the remake.
But I am very surprised and pleased with the news!— chihiro fujioka (@ChihiroFujioka) June 22, 2023
Revealed in the most recent Nintendo Direct (June 21), the game is titled Super Mario RPG and brings back Mallow and Geno to the action-adventure. With updated graphics and cinematics, the game will get a simultaneous worldwide release on Switch on November 17.
This is unlike the original which was released on the SNES in Japan in 1996 and then released on the Virtual Console on Nintendo Wii in Europe in 2008, thanks to the efforts of Square Enix.
Previously, Fujioka stated that he wants his final game to be a Super Mario RPG sequel. “I would absolutely love to make one,” he said in an interview in 2022. “So 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 game, if possible. I would like to go back and create a Mario RPG (different from Mario & Luigi) where you’re only controlling Mario.”
As well as the announcement of Super Mario RPG, Nintendo unveiled Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for the Switch, new 2D title Super Mario Bros. Wonder and a solo Princess Peach game which is without a title or release date at the moment.