Mario & Luigi developers AlphaDream have begun bankruptcy proceedings

The dream may be over

AlphaDream, the developers of the Mario & Luigi series on GBA, DS, and 3DS, have begun bankruptcy proceedings, according to a new report by Yahoo Japan.

The report states that falling revenue following the release of Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey on the 3DS, alongside rising development costs, has made continuing business difficult. AlphaDream has been the studio at the head of the Mario & Luigi series for over 15 years, starting with the release of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga on the Game Boy Advance in 2003.

Since then, half a dozen games in the series have been released across Nintendo’s handheld consoles, culminating in the release of remakes of Superstar Saga and Bowser’s Inside Story on the 3DS in 2017 and 2019, respectively. 3DS hardware and software sales have dropped considerably since the release of the Switch in March 2017, with the most recent financial report showing a 49% year-on-year decrease in 3DS software sales.

It is currently unknown what this means for the future of the Mario & Luigi series.

Oliver Brandt

Deputy Editor, sometimes-reviewer, and Oxford comma advocate. If something's published on Vooks, there's a good chance I looked over it first. I spend way too much on games and use way too many em dashes.