‘Super Mario Maker 2’ Will Not Allow Players To Play With Their Friends Online, Will Not Feature amiibo Support

Super Mario Maker 2 will likely be one of the Switch’s biggest releases this year, and Nintendo aired a Nintendo Direct presentation dedicated to it earlier this month that showcased several new features players will be able to enjoy. However, two new details pertaining to the level maker have since come to light, both of which have sparked criticism from those excited for the game.

Nintendo has confirmed that while people will be able to play locally with their friends, they will not be permitted to do so online. According to Nintendo World Report‘s initial report, the Kyoto-based giant believes the nature of Mario Maker 2‘s online leaderboards would be undermined if players could voluntarily play with their friends. This limitation extends to both the online competitive and cooperative modes, despite the latter not being centered around leaderboards. YouTube channel GameXplain inquired with Nintendo about the information, and received the following statement:

“This is true. As the game is now, you cannot create friend lobbies online. You can only play online with randoms. You can still get friends together and play with local play, and you’re free to play with four players on one Nintendo Switch system. You can also still challenge your friends to your creations and take on their designs through Course IDs and having them follow your Maker profile.”

This restriction comes as a surprising one, considering other titles Nintendo has published for the Switch like Splatoon 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are accommodating to those who wish to engage their friends in online multiplayer.

GameXplain also spoke with Nintendo about another appreciated feature from the original Super Mario Maker, those being the Mystery Mushroom costumes. In the Wii U entry, players could unlock costumes modeled after a plethora of characters for use in the game. Those who owned an amiibo toy of the corresponding character could scan the figure and instantly obtain the corresponding Mystery Mushroom costume. According to GameXplain’s report, these features have been omitted from Mario Maker‘s Switch sequel.

Still, while these details may be disappointing, it is possible Nintendo will listen to users’ feedback and later patch both features back in. The original Mario Maker enjoyed plenty of post-launch support from Nintendo, and it’s common for the company to support its more prolific titles for a year or so after their initial release. Super Mario Maker 2 is slated to launch on September 10.