Sony's CEO Loves The Super Mario Bros. Movie

By Marc Deschamps

The Super Mario Bros. Movie has brought in more than $1 billion worldwide since its release last month, and it seems at this point just about everyone has seen it. That apparently includes Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, who not only went to see the Nintendo adaptation, he also had high praise to share for the movie. During a recent corporate strategy meeting, Yoshida praised the movie, revealing that he "intensely" played the Mario games 30 years ago. He also went on to state that the character and IP's longevity is the kind of thing that Sony should be striving towards. 

"A lovable IP can survive 30, 50, or 100 years. That is something we would like to make investment into for sustainable growth," said Yoshida.

Mario's first appearance was in 1981's Donkey Kong, and the character returned in arcade games like Mario Bros. (1983) and Wrecking Crew (1984). However, it wasn't until 1985's Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System that the series truly began, and the character started to become a household name. Over the last 38 years, Mario has become one of the biggest icons in all of gaming, and there are few IPs bigger in the industry. The success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie will likely introduce a lot of newcomers to the series, and help the franchise continue long into the future!

That said, PlayStation does have its own crop of IPs that have lasted for quite some time. In fact, two of the company's oldest franchises will receive adaptations this year: Twisted Metal and Gran Turismo. Twisted Metal is getting a live-action series that will stream on Peacock starting on July 27th. Two weeks later, a live-action movie based on Gran Turismo will arrive in theaters. It remains to be seen whether either of these adaptations will find nearly as much success as The Super Mario Bros. Movie has, but clearly Sony is looking at ways it can similarly build up its brands! 

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Have you seen The Super Mario Bros. Movie yet? Do you think any of Sony's IPs can have the same kind of longevity as Mario? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Genki_JPN]

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