Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has joked that beloved PlayStation exclusive platformer Astro Bot “almost outdid Nintendo at its own game.”
Fils-Aimé made the comment while presenting at the New York Game Awards, where Astro Bot took home not only the overall Game of the Year award but also Best Music and Best Kids’ Game. It overcame Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and more to win Game of the Year.
Though Nintendo is famous for making games of all genres and has many beloved franchises such as The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and more, it’s perhaps the platforming Mario series which is most iconic. Astro Bot clearly took much inspiration from the 3D platformers such as Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Odyssey, but put its own spin on the concept and wrapped it in a celebration of PlayStation history.
Indeed, Astro Bot director Nicolas Doucet paid tribute to Nintendo when accepting the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2024 last month, saying: “I remember I was a kid in 1989 Christmas, and I got a grey box, there was a game packed in, it was called Super Mario Bros. and it was really, really great – so we are in Japan, we are in Tokyo, they are in Kyoto, but I want to pay tribute to the company who really put like platformers and showed us innovation and quality consistently, and inspired us to actually make the game that we made… And I’ve managed not mention them, have you noticed? But you all know who they are.”
It’s likely this comparison that Fils-Aimé had in mind during the show. “I have to admit it,” he said. “Astro Bot almost outdid Nintendo at its own game.”
Nintendo, meanwhile, hasn’t released a brand new 3D platformer since Super Mario Odyssey was released in 2017. It was as beloved as any other, of course, being called a “masterpiece” in IGN’s 10/10 review, but the seven year gap has left Nintendo fans pining for more.
A new entry will likely come on the Nintendo Switch 2 though, which was officially revealed earlier this month. Nintendo only revealed a new Mario Kart game alongside it, but a Nintendo Direct presentation in April will likely reveal much more, including a release date.
Photo by David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
