Nintendo has defended its limited time release for 'Super Mario 3D: All-Stars'.
Super Mario 3D: All-Stars
The company launched the game earlier this year on the Switch but confirmed the compilation would only on sale for six months - even the digital edition - in a move which was meant to be a celebration of the 'Super Mario' franchise's 35th anniversary.
Speaking to Polygon, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser explained: "I think I use a simple word: celebration. It just — this is a celebration of Mario’s 35th anniversary.
"And we wanted to celebrate in unique and different ways, and we’ve done that through games like 'Super Mario 3D All-Stars', or we will be doing that through future releases, such as 'Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury'.
"And then we’ve also done it through releases such as 'Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.', or through 'Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit'. There are various ways that we’re celebrating Mario’s 35th."
Bowser noted that the team decided a "limited" release was better suited to "some of these titles", although it's not something they'll be adopting across the board.
He added: "With some of these titles, we felt it was an opportunity to release them for a limited period of time. They’ve done very, very well.
"'Super Mario 3D All-Stars' has sold over 2.6 million units in the US alone. And so clearly, consumers have been able to jump in and enjoy that.
"And it’s not strategy that we’re going to be using widely, but it’s one we thought was very unique for the actual anniversary."