Brace yourselves: A new Nintendo console is in the works, according to none other than legendary video game designer and producer Shigeru Miyamoto. In a wide-ranging over-a-cup-of-coffee interview with the Associated Press, Miyamoto also hinted at Mario kicking things off for the next Nintendo console.
“While we’re busy working on software for the Wii U, we have production lines that are working on ideas for what the next system might be,” Miyamoto said in response to a question about whether he was continuing to design games for the Wii U or already looking ahead to new hardware.
In response to another question about Mario’s future, Miyamoto equated Nintendo’s flagship character to Disney’s Mickey Mouse. He expressed his desire to see Mickey’s evolution in animation mirrored in Mario’s evolution in the digital world, “so that with each digital evolution, he was there to usher in the next era. I think that maybe when we release the next hardware system, you can look forward to seeing Mario take on a new role or in a new game.”
All this said, Miyamoto said Nintendo was focused on their lineup of Wii U software in 2015, including the new Star Fox game. The game designer said while the story won’t diverge too much from past Star Fox games, “the gameplay mechanics are going to feel very different because of the two-screen system of the Wii U with the GamePad and TV screen.”
Other tidbits from the interview with the AP include Miyamoto sharing that future games will be compatible with amiibo figures, the next Zelda game will go back to using an open-world concept and Mario’s “next iteration” isn’t likely to be in a film.
