Today has been labeled Mario Death Day, with fans quipping that Nintendo’s iconic mascot has “died” today. This is the result of March 31, 2021, officially marking the end of the plumber’s 35th anniversary, which will also see both Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. 35 being made unavailable to buy and download.
Why is March 31 ‘Mario Death Day?’
Nintendo previously announced that Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. 35 would be available for a limited time only, with the former being removed from sale while the latter would no longer be downloadable on the Switch eShop. The company has stayed true to its word, with both games set to become unavailable on April 1.
Due to this decision, fans have labeled March 31 as ‘Mario Death Day,’ bemoaning Nintendo’s decision to remove the two popular games in what has been viewed as a move to boost the company’s earnings in the 2020/21 financial year. ‘Mario’ began trending on Twitter as a result of these complaints.
Please contact https://t.co/kyarZnHV0x about keeping Super Mario Bros 35. Read pinned for more info. pic.twitter.com/SNGmEqaMvh
— Meester Tweester🔜🇺🇸 San Japan (@MeesterTweester) March 31, 2021
Fans of Super Mario Bros. 35, a PvP multiplayer take on the original Super Mario Bros. similar to Tetris 99, have already begun petitioning Nintendo to keep the game’s servers online. In a note fans are sending to the company en masse, they ask: “Can you please not shut down the online servers so we can keep playing the game?”
Meanwhile, Super Mario 3D All-Stars received a huge boost in sales before April 1. In UK chart data shared by GamesIndustry.biz, it was revealed that the game was number 2 behind Monster Hunter Rise, a week-on-week increase of 276%. This is undoubtedly a result of the game becoming unavailable this week.
While Super Mario Bros. 35 remained popular, it’s unlikely that Nintendo will decide to reverse its decision to shut down its servers anytime soon. Unfortunately, Super Mario 3D All-Stars’ success has likely highlighted how enforced scarcity can increase interest around a product, so it’s arguable this won’t be the last we’ll see of Nintendo limited releases.
In other news, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are set for restocks this week. The PS5 is also likely facing further stock shortages as a result of the Suez Canal blockage.
