Chihiro Fujioka, director of Super Mario RPG is thinking of retiring. Before he hangs up his controllers for good, though, he has expressed interest in making a Super Mario RPG 2 as the final feather in his cap.
His long and illustrious career dates back to the 1980s, when he began work on Earthbound as a composer. He continued to compose music for several games including Burai, Mugen no Shinzou III and Final Fantasy Legend III. In 1992, he moved on to a writer role for Final Fantasy Mystic Quest before becoming the director of Super Mario RPG in 1996. He has worked with Nintendo, Square Enix and PlayStation as a producer and developer.
In 2000, Fujioka left Square to form his own company AlphaDream. The studio was responsible for the development of Tomato Adventure and the Hamtaro series. Unfortunately, the company folded in 2019 after filing for bankruptcy. However, Fujioka was still active in the industry, going back to his roots in music. He was the composer on Megadimension Neptunia VII. Most recently, he oversaw the music arrangement on Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story for the Nintendo 3DS.
Is Super Mario RPG 2 possible?
During a recent interview with MinnMax, he spoke of the desire to on make Super Mario RPG 2 a reality. “In my career I’ve been involved with a lot of games, and I would really like my final one to be another Mario RPG game if possible,” Fujioka said. “I think Mario & Luigi is cool, but I would like to go back and create a Mario RPG where you’re only controlling Mario.” It seems he’s already given this idea a lot of thought, telling MinnMax that his story ideas are a secret.
Whether or not Super Mario RPG 2 becomes a reality, Fujioka leaves behind an amazing legacy. It is one that we will continue to play for years to come. The entire interview is available on YouTube and is worth a watch.
