In an interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu, Nintendo legend and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that he is currently working on something fans have wanted for a long time now – a brand new Nintendo franchise.
Here’s the direct quote from the magazine, as translated by Kotaku:
Famitsu: So, starting with Pikmin 3, you’ve got a lot of new Wii U titles planned up until the holiday season.
Miyamoto: With the recent version upgrade [of the Wii U], we’ve worked on the system side of things and we’re planning on further system tweaks ahead, but even as is, [the Wii U] has become a useful item for the living room. However, it’s pointless to talk about other features, no matter how fulfilling, without releasing games of our own, so we hope you’ll look forward to the games to come. Next Spring, with the release of Mario Kart 8, we’ll have a general selection available, so I’ve been thinking it would be a good time to bring out a new franchise.
Famitsu: A new franchise! An all-new title that you would be working on?
Miyamoto: I can’t say too much in detail right now, but I’ve been pretty busy with this title these days.
Aside from Nintendo Land, this would mark Nintendo’s first brand new IP on the Wii U. While I love me some Mario, Zelda and Pikmin, it’d be a welcome change to see the incredibly talented developers over at Nintendo create something completely new, rather than simply expanding upon their current franchises.