Nintendo Development Prioritizes Quality Over Deadlines, Says Doug Bowser

In an interview with the outlet Inverse, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser elucidated that Nintendo development doesn’t pressure their teams with deadlines. Instead, quality is the focus above all else.

This philosophy was previously stated to apply to the newly released Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but it apparently also applies to Nintendo as a whole. Still, there are bound to be exceptions. Pokémon comes to mind, though that’s handled by several different parties.

You can view the relevant question and response below:

Producer Takashi Tezuka recently said Super Mario Bros. Wonder wasn’t developed with a deadline in mind until much later in development. In an industry famous for crunch, how do you think the development team’s approach affected the final product of Super Mario Bros. Wonder?

I’m always careful not to comment on the part of the developers, but in general, what Mr. Tezuka noted was that very early on in the development cycle, he really did want to give the team the freedom to explore a variety of ideas. The result was a lot of unique and creative ideas they could think about without the pressure of a deadline or the pressure of, ‘How do I actually bring this to life?’

One thing with Nintendo development is we don’t pressure our teams to deliver within a certain window. If they need more time, they’ll take more time. And the reason for that is our players have an expectation of the quality that our games will bring. We want to make sure we respect that and deliver those wow moments.

You can view Inverse’s full interview for additional comments.

In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Prince Florian invited Mario and his friends to the Flower Kingdom. However, when Bowser attacks and comes into contact with the Wonder Flower, he merges with the prince’s castle. Of course, the heroes set off on a quest to halt Bowser’s ambitions.

The game has six worlds that circle the petal isles, with a total of 7 areas to explore. There will be several types of environments throughout the levels, such as caves, deserts, and grasslands.

Luigi, Peach, Daisy, two Toads, and Toadette are also playable alongside Mario, and they all control the same. The Yoshi and Nabbit won’t take damage, though, so they’re for beginners. But they can still lose lives if they fall into a pit.

Players can experience stages with new power-ups, badges, and the Wonder Flower that significantly alters the layout of the environment. Four-player local play will also be featured alongside indirect online player interaction.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available for Nintendo Switch.