The developer behind the remake of Super Mario RPG for Nintendo Switch, a joint project between Nintendo and Square Enix, has been revealed. This revelation comes as spoilers from early copies of the game began to circulate on social media.
According to social media users, a copyright notice found on eShop pre-orders has unveiled that the new Mario RPG was developed by Japanese studio ArtePiazza.
ArtePiazza is known for its contribution to Square’s Dragon Quest series, extending as far back as Dragon Quest 3 in 1996. The studio was primarily responsible for CG design in the early titles, later producing remakes for PS2 and Nintendo DS.
Additional details about the team behind the Mario RPG remake were leaked by Twitter user Mondo_Mega. Ayako Moriwaki of Nintendo EPD reportedly directed the Switch version.
Moriwaki’s recent work includes being an assistant director for Pikmin 4, and prior to that, contributing to Yoshi’s Crafted World (2019) and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (2013).
According to Mondo_Mega, other Nintendo EPD staff members were involved in Mario RPG’s art direction, graphics, and UI. Nintendo Pictures, the animation studio formed last year, provided character art and animation.
Additionally, it is reported that several members of the original Mario RPG development team worked on the new version, including event designer Taro Kudo, co-director Yoshihiko Maekawa, and composer Yoko Shimomura.
Reports suggest that Square Enix’s contribution to Mario RPG for Switch was primarily focused on supervision.
Chihiro Fujioka, who co-directed the original SNES version in 1996, is not involved in the remake in any capacity, although earlier this year, he expressed excitement about playing it.
In a recent hands-on preview of Mario RPG, it was stated that, “It’s authentic to the point that you could almost imagine switching the visuals back to the original pre-rendered sprites by toggling a menu option, as – brilliantly – you can with the game’s soundtrack.
“To a lot of people, that’s going to sound incredibly appealing, as Mario RPG remains one of the most beloved Nintendo games of the 90s era. For those with fewer memories of the original, Square’s adventure undoubtedly holds up in 2023.”
