The Nintendo Switch 2 is off to a good start in terms ofSuper Mariospin-offs.Mario Kart Worldserved as one of the game’s leading launch titles, and soonSuper Mario Party Jamboree’s enhanced Switch 2 versionwill slot into the console’s library of enhanced games likeZelda: Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom. These party games are only one version ofMario’s spin-offs, though. The series has a broad family of sports games, one of the most notable beingSuper Mario Strikers, a GameCube classic that’ll join Nintendo Switch Online’s library of Classics in July.
Super Mario Strikershas a slightly odd place amongMariospin-offs, mainly due to its release history. It got two games in rapid succession - the firstStrikerson GameCube in 2005, followed byMario Strikers Chargedon the Wii in 2007 - and then went on a 15-year hiatus, finally broken by 2022’sMario Strikers: Battle Leaguefor the Switch. Though its reviews were mixed,Battle Leaguenevertheless showed the subseries' potential in the process of reviving it. Between that game andSuper Mario Strikers' arrival on NSO, Nintendo is clearly thinking about the series, so one wonders what it might have planned forStrikerson Switch 2.
Super Mario Strikers May Just Be a Checkpoint on the Way to Strikers on Switch 2
Mario Strikers: Battle League Got the Ball Rolling Again
Mario Strikers: Battle Leagueretained a lot of the energy of the past games, emphasizing flashy, stylized art and an explosive, fantastical take on soccer. Shaky as Nintendo Switch Online’s network may be,Battle Leaguemade the most of modern gaming’s love of online play, fostering a rich multiplayer ecosystem. It did get dinged by critics on a few counts; it released with only eight playable characters, a number that almost doubled over the course ofBattle League’s post-launch support, and some features like character gear were topics of debate. Nevertheless, it had the strongest launch of anyMariosports gameto date, and has surpassed 2.5 million copies sold since then.
All of these elements - both the good and the bad - serve as motivation for Nintendo to make anotherMario Strikersgame. The sales display a clear taste for the series, and any criticismBattle Leaguefaced is simply room for improvement in the next game. Nintendo is no stranger to going the distance on a franchise, even when a game or two gets weak reviews, so it’s unlikely thatMario Strikers: Battle League’s reviewsare the end of the line.
Super Mario Strikers is Back
In the meantime,Super Mario Strikersfeels like a clue to Nintendo’s plans. The GameCube is packed with other classics thatStrikershad to compete with for an early slot on NSO, so prioritizingStrikersas an addition toNSO’s GameCube libraryso early in the Switch 2’s life makes it seem that Nintendo hasMariosports games high on its mind. If Nintendo is quietly working on a newMario Strikersgame, it would make sense to prime fans of the series by giving them easy access to the game that started it all on the Switch 2.
Super Mario Strikersreleased in the GameCube’s twilight years, less than a year before the Wii’s release, so its NSO release within a month of the Switch 2’s launch is a poetic contrast.
There’s no guarantee that there’s anotherMario Strikersgame on the horizon, of course. Nintendo already has a fair few heavy-hitting spin-offs planned forthe Switch 2, likeKirby Air RidersandHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, andMarioalready has a strong presence on Switch 2, soStrikersmight not be around the corner. Still, it seems unlikely that Nintendo would revive theStrikersfranchise after 15 years, only to abandon it again. AnotherStrikersgame in the next few years is well within the realm of possibility, and if that comes true,Super Mario Strikerson NSO is the perfect stopgap.
