Nintendo recently confirmed through its official app "Nintendo Today" that the relationship between its well-known characters Mario and Princess Peach is not lovers, but "good friends." This statement has attracted widespread attention and discussion.
As an iconic character of Nintendo, Mario has played the leading role in many games since its introduction in the early 1980s, often as a hero rescuing Princess Peach. Due to this classic setting and the interactive content released by Nintendo on Valentine's Day and other occasions in the past, many players have long viewed the two as a couple or a potential romantic relationship.
However, according to information recently released by "Nintendo Today", the official clearly defined the two as "good friends." This wording caused many players to re-examine the relationship between the two, and also triggered a series of discussions about the emotional settings of Nintendo's characters. Previously, Link and Princess Zelda from the "Legend of Zelda" series were also speculated to be a couple many times, but Nintendo also did not give a clear positioning.
Some players believe that Nintendo's move may be out of consideration for maintaining the brand image for all ages, choosing to downplay the romantic elements between characters in its main series and strengthen the themes of friendship and adventure.
Currently, the next 3D Mario game has not been announced, but considering that "Super Mario: Odyssey" was released in 2017, the new game may have entered the development stage and may be launched in conjunction with the upcoming sequel to the Mario movie.