Original Super Mario RPG Director Not Involved With Remake

Following the Super Mario RPG remake announcement, one of the original game’s directors, Chihiro Fujioka, expressed his excitement about the news on Twitter. However, in a reply, he also mentioned that he is not involved with this project at all. Still, he is “pleased” with the news.

We’ll likely learn more about the Super Mario RPG remake’s staff in the coming months since we know very, very little. Between the extent of Square Enix’s involvement and what fans can expect from the script, we’re all in the dark for now.

• Check out our announcement coverage of Super Mario RPG for a trailer and additional information.
• Official Screenshots

The game was originally released in 1996 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System/Super Famicom and was notably developed by a pre-merger Squaresoft. It produced a large cult following over the last several years, as fans of the game campaigned for party member Geno to appear as a playable character in Super Smash Bros.

Yoko Shimomura will be in charge of the soundtrack, who was the initial composer for the game on SNES. Shimomura shared, “I put all my heart into arranging all the songs, hoping that both the fans of the original and those playing for the first time can enjoy it!”

The game would later receive a spiritual successor in the Paper Mario series. Still, this announcement comes as a major shock as the franchise has not had a proper RPG title launch since 2019’s remake of Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story on the 3DS and a new original title since 2015’s Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.

Fujioka’s reply revealing his lack of involvement with the remake is below:

I am not involved in the remake.
But I am very surprised and pleased with the news!

— chihiro fujioka (@ChihiroFujioka) June 22, 2023