Super Mario 3D Land dev cites hardware changes for franchise "freshness"

Super Mario 3D Land director Koichi Hayashida has said hardware-driven innovation keeps the Mario franchise fesh, and that it doesn't need creator Shigeru Miyamoto to progress.

Speaking to Hayashida at GDC 2012, Gamesradar asked why Mario remains a perennial favourite.

"One element is that every time we come out with new hardware, the unique capabilities of that technology drives us to find new combinations for gameplay that’s familiar in the Mario universe, but made new by something special about that hardware," he said.

"That combination of familiar and new, I think, gives people a sense of freshness."

Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto acts as the public face and is often seen as the driving force behind the Maro franchise's ongoing adaptation, but Hayashida said Nintendo is more than just one man.

"Of course Mr Miyamoto is not going to retire any time soon, and I have to say I’m going to be working hard as I can on games now and in the future," he acknowledged, "But Nintendo is made up of a lot of really great ideas, many of which were contributed by Mr Miyamoto himself.

"We all care very much about these ideas, we try hard to grasp them and use them in our work. We also do our best to pass along these ideas to the next generation of developers, and that’s an ongoing process."