Over the years, plenty of projects have been born at Facebook’s legendary “hackathons” that have gone on to either become part of larger projects or full-fledged projects in their own right. Later this month, something much more important will come out of one of these hackathons: a bunch of Super Mario Maker levels.
As it gears up for the launch of Super Mario Maker, Nintendo has announced that it is hosting an event at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park on July 28 and 29. Instead of the standard coding, this time Facebook employees will be trying their hand at creating levels in the upcoming game.
Using the demo version of Super Mario Maker, employees will split into teams or go it on their own and will compete to design a “special level” in the game. A panel of judges from both Nintendo and Facebook will rank the levels, and the winning team or individual will see their level made available to all Super Mario Maker owners after the game’s launch.
“Facebook is known for connecting people through delightful shared experiences,” Nintendo of America’s Scott Moffitt said. “Video games fit that mission perfectly, and we’re thrilled to work with a partner like Facebook to help more people form connections through the joy of games like Super Mario Maker.”
Since most of us aren’t Facebook employees, Nintendo will be making a video series documenting the event that will be released shortly after the event is concluded. If you really want to follow things live, Nintendo will also be providing updates on its social media channels.
With Super Mario Maker players create their own levels using elements from various games from the original Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario World and the more recent New Super Mario Bros. U. For those who might not consider themselves the creative type, the game comes with a book that provides “inspiration and thought starters on the level-creation process.”
Super Mario Maker launches on September 11, the 30th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. Nintendo is also commemorating the event with the release of a special pixelated 30th Anniversary Mario Amiibo.
