We Can't Prove When Super Mario Bros. Launched - Gaming History

[dc89]

Super Mario Bros.

is one of video game history's greatest treasures. Its massive world full of colorful characters and hidden secrets informed the design of just about every action-adventure game that came after it. It spawned numerous sequels, television shows, comic books, merchandising, and even a feature film.
And at over 40 million copies sold worldwide (not counting the various ports and reimaginings over the last couple decades), this is arguably the game that brought business back to an American home video game industry that had plummeted to next to nothing in the early '80s, the victim of an oversaturated market that left stores full of excess inventory that was practically given away.

And yet, we don't know exactly when the game came out. In fact, talk to enough people and you'll come to find out that we can't even agree on the year the game came out, at least in the United States (in Japan, we know exactly when it shipped: September 13, 1985).

This isn't Amelia Earhart or the Bermuda Triangle we're talking about here: this is one of the highest grossing consumer entertainment products in history, introduced less than 30 years ago, and we can't seem to get the date right.

I decided recently to try to set this right. I wanted to prove, once and for all, exactly when Super Mario Bros. invaded North America.

I wanted to put this whole embarrassing mess behind us so that the history books of the future could be properly informed, and so that places like Wikipedia would have a definitive source to cite.

Did I find the answer? Well, sort of. Read on to see just how difficult this search turned out to be.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur...s_Came_Out.php

Incredible piece of history there and a really good piece of gaming journalism.

[Sylar]

Oh man I'm too tired to read all that lol so i skipped to the end to find the date Isn't Pokémon second to Mario in being the most successful gaming franchise? and Nintendo owns both of them, that is mental.

[keefy]

we know exactly when it shipped: September 13, 1985

[dc89]

In Japan :P

If you read the article you'll see where he's coming from in terms of US launch. No one knows!

[Kuro]

It's like to tootsie roll pop "the world may never know!"..haha

[squirrelbo1]

fucking awesome read. have some rep