Super Mario Odyssey 2: Will We Ever Get A Sequel?

Super Mario Odyssey is almost universally beloved, and is one of the Switch's best selling titles. Naturally, the game's success has fans wondering when, or even if, they'll see a sequel. Nintendo has been noticeably quiet on the subject since Super Mario Odyssey's 2017 release, leaving gamers with nothing but their own speculations. And some of those speculations have gotten pretty detailed.

Despite all the love Super Mario Odyssey has received, so far there's been no official confirmation or denial that a sequel is in the works. However, a few details have given Mario fans hope that Odyssey 2 might be on the horizon — perhaps even appearing in the near future. While there's no concrete proof one way or the other, here are some of the aspects keeping the dream alive.

To say Super Mario Odyssey is a hit is an understatement. As of March 2020, the game had sold 17.41 million units, and it currently sits at an almost unheard-of 97 Metascore. That, along with its impressive 8.9 user score, puts Super Mario Odyssey on par with some of the greatest games of all time.

Those scores, incidentally, are almost identical to Super Mario Galaxy's, and the sales figures are significantly higher than Galaxy's 12.80 million units sold. If Super Mario Galaxy was considered successful enough for a sequel, it would be strange if Odyssey did not receive the same treatment.

While people loved Super Mario Galaxy, Galaxy 2 was considered by some to be even better than the original. It came out about two and a half years after the first Super Mario Galaxy. Accounting for the longer development cycles that go into current games, the three years since Odyssey's release could put the industry right on track for an Odyssey 2 announcement sometime soon.

Downloadable content is almost a matter of course in gaming these days. Even Animal Crossing and Pokemon have released extra content and asked customers to pay for it. However, in the three years since Super Mario Odyssey came out, it's never gotten any paid DLC. The Balloon World minigame and some Labo VR content came out in free updates, but there haven't been any signs of a true expansion for the game.

As Tech Times's Robin Burks explains, DLC serves a few different purposes. One key aspect is extending a game's lifespan, keeping it relevant for longer rather than having to continually churn out sequels. So, if Super Mario Odyssey's lifespan isn't being extended with DLC, why not? As Mario fans suggested in October 2018, it may be because Nintendo is saving its ideas and resources for a sequel.

In October 2019, Nintendo started advertising that it was looking for a level designer for a new 3D action game. Neither the announcement or the page it linked to specified which game the company was hiring for, but the tweet came with a picture of Mario that spawned some intriguing speculation. Mario's mustachioed mug attached to the phrase "3D action game" was more than enough to get people thinking about Super Mario Odyssey 2, among other potential sequels such as Galaxy 3 or Sunshine 2.

"3D action game" could mean any number of things, and, as Twitter user Ryuga points out, the ad may have only included Mario because he's the face of Nintendo. Still, it was enough to start the rumor mill grinding. This tweet, and a similar one looking for help with a new 2D game, may not be concrete proof that new Mario games are in the works, but they're at least circumstantial evidence. Nintendo has since announced Paper Mario: The Origami King, so the company at least has Mario in its sights.