In an interesting move, Nintendo has decided to partner with Facebook to help promote the launch of the much anticipated Super Mario Maker on September 11, 2015. Nintendo announced on their Twitter account yesterday that the promotion will be through a special “Hackathon” contest for Facebook employees.
“Nintendo is partnering with Facebook to celebrate the launch of #SuperMarioMaker! (1/2) Facebook employees will design levels in the game in a competition, w/ one level available to download for free after launch. (2/2)”
Each employee will be given a chance to create their own levels within the new Nintendo title. The entries will then be voted on by Nintendo and Facebook to crown the winner. The winning level will then appear in the final game.
After the Twitter announcement, Nintendo sent out a press release giving more detail on the contest:
“Hackathon events are a unique element of the Facebook company culture, and an opportunity for employees to pursue a project outside their day-to-day responsibilities to rapidly create something that interests them. The Super Mario Maker hackathon is exclusively for Facebook employees to design a special level in the game. At the event, participants will be using the demo version of the game that drew rave reviews at the recent E3 video game trade show to create levels using the in-game tools that will become available to a wider audience when the game launches exclusively for Wii U on the 11th of September.
The event will culminate with designers presenting their creations to a panel of judges from Nintendo and Facebook. The winning individual or team has the opportunity to make the level available for Super Mario Maker owners to play after the game’s launch. Nintendo will be making a video series documenting the event available for fans to view shortly after the event concludes, and fans can also check in to Nintendo’s social media channels on July 28 and July 29 for live updates.”
I find it odd that all voting will be conducted by Nintendo and Facebook employees only. I feel it would have been much more enjoyable and exciting for gamers and fans to vote on the winner, but this isn’t the first time I didn’t agree with Nintendo’s decisions. One thing we can all agree on: More levels for Super Mario Maker is always a good thing!
Are you excited for the upcoming release of Super Mario Maker? Do you think Nintendo should have handled this content differently? Let us know in the comments down below!
I wonder what Nintendo is looking for in the ultimate level. A high level of challengingness or joy ride platformer, full of timed jumps and fun.