The first quarter of the year is home to plenty of Nintendo-themed festivities, as one of the biggest names in gaming honors some of its most successful franchises. Last week sawPokemonwrap up a week of announcements leading up to the franchise’s ‘Pokemon Day,’ which culminated in theannouncement of the next generation ofPokemongames.Super Mariowill hold its annual ‘Mario Day’ this coming Thursday on March 10th. Now, with the flagship franchise’s big day fast approaching, Nintendo and select retailers are already ringing in the Italian plumber’s big day.
The annualSuper Mario-themed celebration has become a tradition for Nintendo, serving as a play on words based on the date of ‘Mar10’, similar to the adoption of ‘May the 4th’ as a celebration amongstStar Warsfans. Past years have featured discounts on many modern games likeLuigi’s Mansion 3andSuper Mario Maker 2as well as accessories and toys. Now, with 2022’s Mario Day just a few days away, Nintendo and major retailers are featuring discounts on some of the franchise’s hottest games.
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Mario-related sales to ring in the Mario Day season have already gone up on the Switch eShop as well as several online stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop.Mariofans will be able to pick up popular games likeMario Kart 8 DeluxeandNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxefor $40, discounted from their standard price of $60. Amazon also features some DLC codes forMariogames likeLuigi’s Mansion 3, while GameStop is offering discounts onMariotoys, apparel, and collectibles with the sales expected to run through the beginning of next week.
The sale forMario Kart 8 Deluxecomes not long after Nintendo announced amajor DLC pack coming for the racing gamecoming during Nintendo’s February ‘Nintendo Direct’ broadcast. Also included are many of theMariofranchise’s most recent games, like last June’sMario Golf: Super RushandMario Kart Live: Home Circuit, with Best Buy and GameStop also offering discounts on the full kits for the augmented-reality racing game.
2022’s Mario Day comes at a time when fans of the franchise have plenty to look forward to over the next year. Not only areMario GolfandMario Tennisboth coming to the Switch, but Nintendo also announced that another majorMariosports franchise was making a return, asMario Strikers: Battle Leagueis the firstMariosoccer game since the Wii’sMario Strikers Charged. The next entry in the popularMario + Rabbidsstrategy spinoff, titledSparks of Hope, is also set to launch sometime in 2022. WhileMariohasn’t seen a new main-series announcement yet, the coming year should bring plenty to keep fans of the storied franchise happy.
