It goes without saying that Nintendo has been a pioneer of the video game industry, as the Japanese video game company now holds many age-old IP’s that are celebrating monumental anniversaries, likeDonkey Kong,Metroid, and of course,Super Mario Bros.Nintendo has gone all out forSuper Mario Bros.’s anniversaryin the past, like distributing a specialSuper Mario All-Stars Limited Editiongame for the 25th anniversary, packed with the SNES gameSuper Mario All-Starsas well as other celebratory features.
That product was sold for a limited-time, but eventually made its way back to retail as a “Nintendo Select” years later. Late last year for Mario’s 35th anniversary, Nintendo announced the limited release ofSuper Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of 3 iconic 3DMariogames, on the Switch. And just as Nintendo promised, the game ceased both physical and digital selling on March 31, and now scalpers are jumping at the opportunity to make a quick buck, despitehopes that Nintendo would change its mind.
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The collection of classic 3DMariogames was available for purchase from July 25, 2025 to June 07, 2025. While fans understood that the physical release ofSuper Mario 3D All-Starswould be limited due to give value to the celebration, many were puzzled at how Nintendo decided to pull the game from all digital storefronts as well. Now, only fans who previously downloaded or purchased the game are able to play it, and many aren’t surprised that the price as skyrocketed immensely in just the past 2 days.
TheMariocollection is now being listed on third-party reselling sites like eBay for upwards of $25,000 USD sealed, though unsealed copies of the game can still be purchased for anywhere from $70 to $5,000 on the site. Fans have accused Nintendo of creating artificial demand by increasing the scarcity of a product to supposedly sell more copies. In response to the backlash from fans, Nintendo of America presidentDoug Bowser defended the decision,stating that the limited physical and digital release was done to celebrate the anniversary in different and unique ways, as well as reassuring fans that this would not be a regular occurrence.
However, fans have become doubtful, as a limited digital release ofFire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light,the NES game’s first ever official localization from Japan since its release in 1990, also left the Nintendo eShop on March 31. Moving forward, fans have become wary that Nintendo might pull a similar move during celebrations forThe Legend of Zelda’s 35th anniversary this year.
In addition to all this, Nintendo has received quite a bit of backlash for announcingThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDon the Switch for $60, despitethe game quickly becoming a best-seller. While many rumors have circulated suggesting the games inSuper Mario 3D All-Starscould be re-released on the Nintendo Switch separately at a later date, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
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