On my gaming blog, Gameblaster64, in September of 2012 I wrote an article complaining about the lack of risk-taking by Nintendo with regards to games on the Wii U. At that time, the console’s game library was almost entirely movie licenses and Just Dance clones. I gave two examples that came to my head as the type of games I’d love to play but thought Nintendo wouldn’t have the balls to make. Here’s my second idea (the first being a worldwide Animal Crossing game):
Platformer U
Think of the music sequencer from Mario Paint except you build a platformer instead of a song. Hundreds of assets are included (and some sold in DLC packs on the Wii U store) including the ability to place classic Mario characters and items in your levels. Share said levels with your friends and everyone online.
I thought Nintendo would never allow the public to use Nintendo assets for their own games, even in a limited fashion, as it would require them to give up control. Imagine my surprise when I read this article about Super Mario Maker on Wikipedia today:
The game was first announced at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014 with the name Mario Maker. The game was originally conceived as a tool by Nintendo’s internal development team, to be used only within the company. The team, however, quickly realized the tool’s potential as a game and pitched the idea to senior game designer Takashi Tezuka. Meanwhile, Tezuka had been wanting to make a Wii U followup to Mario Paint that utilizes the Wii U GamePad.
Sometimes, you get what you ask for.