Nintendo have announced that they will be deactivating the ability to upload courses in Super Mario Maker for Wii U on 31st March 2021. That’s also the date that they’re removing Super Mario Bros. 35 from Nintendo Switch Online and ending sales of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, meaning that this could be considered a bizarre twist to Nintendo’s 35th anniversary celebrations for their iconic Italian plumber…
From 31/03, you will no longer be able to upload courses in #SuperMarioMaker for #WiiU. Thank you to all the players for supporting Super Mario Maker for Wii U since 2015!
Find out more:https://t.co/zNzrnXPKvZ
— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) November 25, 2020
OK, so I suppose it could just be a coincidence based around the end of the financial year, but I like to think it’s intentional.
Also being turned off is the Super Mario Maker Bookmark site, which will mean that the game’s Course World system will no longer be able to update the ranking of liked courses and you’ll no longer be able to look up your bookmarked courses.
Because of these fundamental changes, Nintendo will be removing Super Mario Maker for Wii U from sale on the Nintendo eShop on 13th January 2021. You will still be able to download the game if you already own it.
It’s worth mentioning that none of this will affect the excellent sequel Super Mario Maker 2 for Nintendo Switch, and those who wish to play on Wii U will still be able to download courses, it will just effectively end whatever creative community still exists on the platform.
While the legacy continues with the Switch-based sequel, it’s the start of the end for the original and the surprisingly freeing burst of creativity that Nintendo allowed for its fans. In our Super Mario Maker review, Blair wrote:
Super Mario Maker is a true celebration of gaming’s most popular icon. It’s Nintendo’s love letter to the fans, not just giving them the tools to create and share Mario courses, but wrapping it up in a wonderfully presented package and teaching them everything they could possibly want to know. The beauty is that some fans will inevitably be able to go beyond that and pull off some tricks that Nintendo haven’t even thought of yet.
Source: Nintendo
