Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has said the company needs to remain "strict" about creating new characters, revealing that during the development of Splatoon he even questioned whether it "would be better to just use Mario" instead of building a brand new IP. The comments underline how cautious Nintendo is about expanding its roster of characters, given the enormous risk and resource investment involved in launching an original property rather than relying on an established, bankable face like Mario.

Splatoon went on to become one of Nintendo's most successful new franchises in decades, but Miyamoto's remarks suggest its ink-splatting squid kids were not a guaranteed bet internally, with senior figures weighing the safer commercial option of reusing an existing mascot. His comments reflect Nintendo's broader philosophy of only greenlighting new characters when they can justify their own identity and appeal, rather than creating them for novelty's sake.