Classic Nintendo
Nintendo has all sorts of games in the pipeline, but it doesn’t always release them as soon as they’re complete.
We’ve seen this occur during the Switch generation with series like Pikmin and Metroid Prime, and it seems another game the company could have been sitting on for quite some time was the recent release Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
As highlighted by ‘pierre485’ on Bluesky (via GoNintendo), this new entry – which was originally revealed to the world in June 2024 – was apparently rated by the German Ratings Board USK “301 days” before it was actually released.
“Some interesting data from recently released Nintendo titles (USK) : Mario & Luigi: Brothership was rated 301 days before release, the longest for an original Nintendo title since FE Engage (which was rated 515 days before release) *USK is the German rating board”
Again, Mario & Luigi: Brothership isn’t necessarily an isolated case here based on some of Nintendo’s previous releases.
Looking ahead, Nintendo has already locked in multiple first-party releases next year including Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
It’s also rumoured it will lean heavily on third parties in 2025 to help fill the gaps in Switch’s calendar as it gears up for the launch of the system’s successor.
What are your thoughts about Nintendo developing games and then releasing them at a later date to maybe fill gaps in their schedule? Let us know in the comments.
[source bsky.app, via gonintendo.com]
Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He’s been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief.
