Kimishima: No decision on Super Mario Bros film made

The new Super Mario Bros. animated movie that's been rumoured to be in the making for a long time is not a done deal as far as Nintendo are concerned. Nintendo President, Tatsumi Kimishima, started the new year talking to the local newspaper Kyoto Shimbun about some of the main issues the company is focusing on, including their Quality of Live strategy and the Nintendo theme park.

Kimishima has heard the rumours of the animated feature but stated that nothing has been actually announced. He told Kyoto Shimbun that Nintendo wants to settle an agreement soon and make it public because they are aiming for a release around the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In any case, Nintendo this production as something they'll work on themselves, not just a licensed product, and want to be involved in the development. WSJ has previously reported on an agreement between Mario's creator and Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me).

On the video game front, he said that the company expected the seasonal grow of Nintendo Switch sales and emphasised that Nintendo 3DS is still performing according to the expectations and will continue to be sold in the future. When asked about the Chinese market, he didn't reveal whether Nintendo would be entering the giant market nearby this year but did state that there is an interest but that there are hurdles to overcome with the local authorities.