Nintendo Direct presentations are often full of surprises, but I don't think any of us could've anticipated Mario Strikers: Battle League. First arriving on GameCube in 2005, Mario Smash Football was a hit with fans, developed by Next Level Games.
Sadly, this sub-series has been missing in action since 2007's Mario Strikers Charged Football on the Wii, while Mario Golf and Mario Tennis remain our favourite plumber's regular outings.
Now, 15 years later, a new football entry's finally coming with Battle League, and it's not far off launching. If you're looking to know more about this long-awaited sequel, here's everything we've seen so far.
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Mario Strikers: Battle League - Latest News
June 20, 2022 -
Mario Strikers: Battle League is out now! Check out our review to see what we think of the final product.
May 13, 2022 -
A new gameplay preview for Mario Strikers: Battle League arrived recently, with a more detailed look at the game in action. There's a deeper exploration of the various items on offer that alter your stats, and the tackling mechanics that can help or hinder your team. That's on top of confirming 8-player local games, and the Strikers Club online mode.
April 20, 2022 -
Pre-orders for Mario Strikers: Battle League are now live, and early buyers can snag an exclusive football scarf with their order. Nintendo often gives away wacky loot with their pre-orders, so it's good to see you can live out your fantasies of being a Mario football ultra with the new game. There's also a new Spanish trailer circulating, showing off the bombastic football game in action.
February 24, 2022 -
It wasn't entirely clear before but now it's been confirmed. Next Level Games is the studio working on the recently announced Mario Strikers: Battle League Football game. This was confirmed from a listing found on the Australian classification database which lists Next Level Games as the game's developer.
For those unaware, Next Level Games previously oversaw the development of Super Mario Strikers on GameCube and Mario Strikers Charged on Wii.
February 21, 2022 -
As per nintendolife.com, an early listing on Nintendo's website and eShop game page, has revealed that Mario Strikers Battle League will require around 3GB of free space.
February 9, 2022 -
Nintendo officially revealed Mario Strikers: Battle League during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct! Joining surprise reveals like Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, we've got the full story.
Release Date and Platforms
Mario Strikers: Battle League arrives this Summer, launching on June 10, 2022. As for platforms, that'll be exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay
Mario Strikers: Battle League retains the previous five-on-five soccer-like formula, though there's no referees to reign you in. Letting you tackle, use items and activate special shots, that'll support eight-player local multiplayer with four players per team.
That also comes with individual matches and online multiplayer through a club mode, which promises up to 20 players can join.
Trailer
You can find the Mario Strikers: Battle League announcement trailer revealed during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct below:
We'll keep you informed as we learn more.