It goes without saying that Nintendo has been a pioneer of the video game industry, as the Japanese video game company now holds many age-old IP's that are celebrating monumental anniversaries, like Donkey Kong, Metroid, and of course, Super Mario Bros. Nintendo has gone all out for Super Mario Bros.'s anniversary in the past, like distributing a special Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition game for the 25th anniversary, packed with the SNES game Super Mario All-Stars as well as other celebratory features.
That product was sold for a limited-time, but eventually made its way back to retail as a "Nintendo Select" years later. Late last year for Mario's 35th anniversary, Nintendo announced the limited release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of 3 iconic 3D Mario games, on the Switch. And just as Nintendo promised, the game ceased both physical and digital selling on March 31, and now scalpers are jumping at the opportunity to make a quick buck, despite hopes that Nintendo would change its mind.
The collection of classic 3D Mario games was available for purchase from September 18, 2020 to March 31, 2021. While fans understood that the physical release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars would be limited due to give value to the celebration, many were puzzled at how Nintendo decided to pull the game from all digital storefronts as well. Now, only fans who previously downloaded or purchased the game are able to play it, and many aren't surprised that the price as skyrocketed immensely in just the past 2 days.
The Mario collection is now being listed on third-party reselling sites like eBay for upwards of $25,000 USD sealed, though unsealed copies of the game can still be purchased for anywhere from $70 to $5,000 on the site. Fans have accused Nintendo of creating artificial demand by increasing the scarcity of a product to supposedly sell more copies. In response to the backlash from fans, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser defended the decision, stating that the limited physical and digital release was done to celebrate the anniversary in different and unique ways, as well as reassuring fans that this would not be a regular occurrence.
However, fans have become doubtful, as a limited digital release of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, the NES game's first ever official localization from Japan since its release in 1990, also left the Nintendo eShop on March 31. Moving forward, fans have become wary that Nintendo might pull a similar move during celebrations for The Legend of Zelda's 35th anniversary this year.
In addition to all this, Nintendo has received quite a bit of backlash for announcing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on the Switch for $60, despite the game quickly becoming a best-seller. While many rumors have circulated suggesting the games in Super Mario 3D All-Stars could be re-released on the Nintendo Switch separately at a later date, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.