GAME · 2010
Super Mario Galaxy 2
- Developer
- Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Platforms
- Wii, Wii U
19 archived facts 1 topic 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
19 Facts From the Development of Super Mario Galaxy 2
- #001
After Nintendo finished Super Mario Galaxy, Shigeru Miyamoto approached the development team and proposed that a follow-up be made.
- #002
The first elements added to Super Mario Galaxy 2 were ideas cut from the original game for balance or time reasons, including Yoshi and a planet shaped like Mario's head.
- #003
As new elements and ideas were added, Super Mario Galaxy 2 grew into a full sequel rather than a minor follow-up, and its development ultimately lasted two and a half years.
- #004
To set Super Mario Galaxy 2 apart from its predecessor, the staff initially intended the entire game to be built around a "switching" concept in which environments would change dramatically under certain conditions. The idea proved too difficult to implement at full scale and was limited to selected levels.
- #005
An early proposal for Super Mario Galaxy 2 was to include cameos by other Nintendo characters, specifically Donkey Kong and Pikmin. Miyamoto rejected the idea, saying Pikmin characters would not work within the Mario universe and that there was no reason for such cameos.
- #006
Super Mario Galaxy 2 placed its tutorials in an optional "Tip Network" system, a choice made to benefit players already familiar with the original game.
- #007
Miyamoto likened Super Mario Galaxy 2 to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, noting that both games reuse their predecessors' engines while expanding on their foundations.
- #008
Super Mario Galaxy 2 was revealed at E3 2009 on June 2.
- #009
Miyamoto said Super Mario Galaxy 2 contains 95–99% new features, with the remainder carried over from Super Mario Galaxy.
- #010
Nintendo of America President and CEO Reggie Fils-Aimé said in an interview that Super Mario Galaxy 2 would be more challenging than the original, while Miyamoto told Wired the sequel would focus less on plot.
- #011
Super Mario Galaxy 2 was re-released for download on the Wii U's Nintendo eShop on January 14, 2015.
- #012
In January 2015, late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation that Super Mario Galaxy 2 would be re-released on the Wii U's Nintendo eShop, alongside other Wii games including Punch-Out!! and Metroid Prime: Trilogy.
- #013
During early development, when the project was conceived as "Super Mario Galaxy 1.5", there were no plans to use music different from the first Super Mario Galaxy.
- #014
As Super Mario Galaxy 2 evolved, the sound team led by Mahito Yokota concluded that new music was needed to match the new gameplay mechanics being added.
- #015
According to Mahito Yokota, Shigeru Miyamoto immediately approved using a symphony orchestra again because he felt players would expect an orchestral soundtrack, and Miyamoto also suggested including arrangements from Super Mario Galaxy.
- #016
For Super Mario Galaxy 2, Koji Kondo recruited sixty musicians for the orchestra, ten more than the original game's score used.
- #017
An additional ten musicians played big band music with trumpets, trombones, saxophones and drums, bringing the total for Super Mario Galaxy 2 to seventy players.
- #018
Taizo Takemoto conducted the orchestral performances for Super Mario Galaxy 2, while Koji Kondo supervised and also contributed five pieces to the soundtrack.
- #019
The Super Mario Galaxy 2 soundtrack was released as a 2-disc set with seventy songs for Japanese Club Nintendo members.
Sources & editorial notes
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Super Mario Galaxy 2 — Wikipedia
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work