Nintendo typically does its best to maintain a video game's lifespan, no matter how large or small the popularity is. Games like Arms, which didn't receive the best criticism, received consistent updates months after its release. Other more popular titles like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have received new fighters, items, and stages since the title released for the Nintendo Switch. That is why it comes as such a surprise and disappointment that Super Mario Maker 2 isn't likely to have any more updates.
In the game, Ninji Speedruns are courses that challenge players to race ghost players that look like Ninjis to obtain a faster time. A recent update from the Ninji Speedruns Twitter has announced that the 20th speedrun in the game will be it's last. This news comes months after Super Mario Maker 2's final major content update, which seems to spell the end for Super Mario Maker 2. While the game already contained many features, it still has the potential for more content that would keep the game alive for years to come.
Since its release in June of 2019, Super Mario Maker 2 has only had a few major content updates, with the most recent being last year. These content updates featured some impressive additions that included a crossover with The Legend of Zelda's Link and a World Maker mode that expanded the course creations from one course to enough to make an entire game. But within those updates are the puzzle pieces to more opportunities to expand the game that were sadly never taken advantage of.
Super Mario Maker 2 already included hundreds of features that made the need for DLC unnecessary. It's a perfect justification for lessening the focus on expanding the title. However, Link's addition blew that hypothesis away as it was now possible for other Nintendo characters to cross over into the game. Rather than stop with the hero of Hyrule, developers could easily include other Nintendo properties like Donkey Kong and Kirby. Their inclusion could include even more pieces to create levels centered around the characters. This would turn the game into more of a Nintendo Maker game rather than relying only on Mario, benefitting its longevity.
Another major success for Mario came two years before the original Super Mario Maker in the form of Super Mario 3D World. The game took all of the best qualities of a 2D Mario game and gave it a modern 3D lens. The game's look is now the new standard for the character, and its colorful world was even implemented into the Super Mario Maker franchise. Players could now create courses in both classic 2D and 3D perspectives, which opened up even more options for creators.
The 3D perspective could have been the opportunity to include full 3D maps. Rather than focusing on 2D platforms, the game could have added a "create a map" feature that would have opened a whole 3D landscape for the player, similar to creating a skatepark in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Not only would that have presented even more challenges and game modes for players, but it would have also offered the best of Mario's 2D and 3D iterations. While it isn't officially the end for Super Mario Maker 2, there is an unshakeable feeling that the 20th Ninji Speedrun will be a final bow to players in terms of DLC. A severe lack of attention from the creators makes the pill hard to swallow, as well as there still so much potential buried within the game.