Its hard to believe that its been 40 years since the Super Mario Bros. franchise started. Super Mario Bros. is considered to be one of the most legendary video games of all-time because it helped shape and revolutionize the world of gaming as we know it. Super Mario Bros. was created by Nintendo and released for the 8-bit NES console in 1985. Super Mario Bros. was a basic 2D platform game where players controlled Mario or his brother Luigi in 2 Player mode in order to navigate through various worlds while attempting to rescue Princess Peach from the main antagonist Bowser. Super Mario Bros. was a game that started off easy but slowly increased in difficulty as players progressed throughout the game to different worlds. The Super Mario Bros. contained eight different worlds with approximately 32 levels. In each stage of Super Mario Bros. players had to either jump on or avoid various enemies like Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Hammer Bros and Piranha Plants. When players got to a castle at the end of each world they battled a series of fake Bowser’s before getting to the end at World 8-4 to battle the real one.

During each level players could acquire power-ups including Mushrooms, Fire Flowers and Gold Stars to help Mario or Luigi clear each level faster. Super Mario Bros. was a game that ended up being praised for being basic, fun and challenging becoming the most popular title to appear on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since its release Super Mario Bros has managed to sell more than 40 million copies worldwide. The success of Super Mario Bros. was also the beginning of a new era in the gaming world. Since 1985, Super Mario ended becoming the biggest and most recognizable name in the gaming industry. The Super Mario franchise has made Nintendo over $60 billion in revenue since its inception. It should also be noted that Super Mario Bros along with the NES system has been credited for saving the gaming industry following the Video Game Crash of 1983. The success of original Super Mario Bros title revitalized the gaming industry and even lead to Sega creating the Sonic the Hedgehog series in 1991. The Sonic the Hedgehog series was obviously inspired by Super Mario Bros and was made by Sega to rival Nintendo’s beloved plumber. Super Mario Bros legacy and impact on the gaming industry is profound because without it the console wars of the 90’s between Nintendo and Sega would not have happened.

If Super Mario Bros did not become as big as it did its unlikely that Sony would have entered to console wars during the mid 90’s. If Sony did not enter the console wars during the mid 90’s than Microsoft would not have joined during the early 2000’s. Despite, the Super Mario Bros. franchise starting 40 years ago the series is even more popular now than its ever been. The latest Super Mario Bros. movie from 2023 earned over $1 billion in box office revenue with a sequel expected to be released in 2026. The impact that Super Mario Bros. has made on the gaming industry remains undeniable and Mario himself is still seen as one of the greatest video game characters of all-time.