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Nintendo seriously considered having Splatoon star Mario

"There were heated debates over who the main player character should be."

Splatoon, Nintendo's upcoming Wii U online shooter about morphing squid children with paint guns, almost starred Mario.

Against all odds Nintendo decided NOT to have their family-friendly game star a moustachioed middle-aged portly plumber.

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto made this reveal in an interview with Edge Magazine (via NintendoLife), where he noted "There were heated debates over who the main player character should be. Whether it should be Mario, or a squid.

"When we talked about the possibility of it being Mario, of course we could think of the advantages: anybody would be willing to touch it as soon as we announced that we had the new Mario game. But at the same time, we had some worries. If it were Mario, we wouldn't be able to create any new IP."

So there you have it! Nevermind the fact that Mario and squids have famously not gotten along very well - what with him ripping the tentacles off several of them in Super Mario Sunshine - so having him morph into one would make him something of a hypocrite.

Cover image for YouTube videoSuper Mario Sunshine Miniboss: Gooper Blooper
Mario is not the most squid-friendly of fellows.