Although Nintendo's incredibly successful Wii console may already seem like a relic of the past, plenty of gamers still have happy memories of time spent with the likes of Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and the two Super Mario Galaxy games.

But with Super Mario 3D World making its way to the Nintendo Wii U next week and Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U  joining the party next year, it's easy to assume that the Super Mario Galaxy series has been left behind with the aging console it appeared on (especially since many were hoping that Super Mario Galaxy 3 would be a Wii U launch title). But there may yet be hope for Super Mario Galaxy purists.

In the most recently published "Iwata Asks" interview, Nintendo's head honchos came together to discuss the development and upcoming release of Super Mario 3D World, including the elements of Super Mario Galaxy that have made their way into the game -- namely Captain Toad and Rosalina. It was at this point in the interview that Shigeru Miyamoto teased that Nintendo might not be done with Mario's 3D galaxy platforming:

"Just so there is no misunderstanding, I should point out that this doesn't mean we'll never make another Super Mario Galaxy game."

The above statement is by no means confirmation that Super Mario Galaxy 3 is in the works, or even on the cards, but its nonetheless interesting to hear that Nintendo is open to the idea of the Super Mario Galaxy and the Super Mario 3D series co-existing within the same console generation. That's not to say, however, that the two series will be running in parallel, as Miyamoto explains,

The same team can't make both at the same time. And we can't bring in a second party and slap the name Super Mario Galaxy on it. I suppose we could idealistically make both in Tokyo, but we want to do something new too, so there was that dilemma.

Statements like these remind us of Nintendo's ongoing care and protectiveness over the supremely successful and iconic Super Mario games and their various spinoffs. At least Super Mario Galaxy fans can rest easy knowing that if ever there was a Super Mario Galaxy 2 (read our review) sequel, its development would be in the hands of those who made the first two games so enjoyable. But that's not to say that Super Mario Galaxy fans won't find something enjoyable in Super Mario 3D World -- Miyamoto is confident that they will:

This time, we really put in a lot of ideas that were thought up by a lot of our staff members. Hoping that all kinds of people would play, there's Cat Mario and  a new course select screen and so forth. There's a lot of freedom, and it's a 3D Super Mario game that I think anyone can enjoy. I believe people who like Super Mario Galaxy and those who like Super Mario 3D Land would have a blast. I hope you will pick it up.

But is there even demand for another Super Mario Galaxy game in the first place? Surely Super Mario 3D World will satisfy the 3D platforming cravings of Nintendo Wii U owners, won't it? Will you be picking up Super Mario 3D World next week, or has the game's release already been overshadowed by the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One? Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below!

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Super Mario 3D World will be released for the Nintendo Wii U on November 15 in North America and November 29 in Europe.

Source: Iwata Asks