The return of E3 has a big impact on the video game industry. It’s generally assumed that, in the weeks leading up to the conference, developers big and small will go quiet on many projects, saving up material to show it off at E3 instead. On the whole, Nintendo has done that, remaining quiet on things likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2rather than teasing them constantly. However, Nintendo just broke convention by actually announcing a brand new game with only a month to go before E3. That game isGame Builder Garage,and it looks like a pretty unique addition to theSwitch’s library.
Game Builder Garage, at a glance, is less a game and more a tool. It’s Nintendo’s take on products likeRPG Maker,intended to teach users some programming basics and give them simple tools for making their own games. Nintendo didn’t teaseGame Builder Garagein any way before its announcement, but in retrospect it only seems natural. Nintendo has a long history of creating tools meant to encourage fans to get creative. In a way, it seems like Nintendo was building up toGame Builder Garageall along.
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Nintendo’s History with Creativity
Naturally, Nintendo is best known for all the games that it’s made. Franchises likeSuper Mario,The Legend of Zelda,and so on are practically household names. They’ve had a huge impact on their respective genres and continue to release highly influential AAA titles. However, Nintendo has spent a long time releasing tools and creative “games” that received a ton of praise. It’s been nearly 30 years sinceMario Paintcame out, but it’s still remembered as a strange but interesting SNES title meant to make art rather than offer traditional gameplay.Mario Paintoffered both painting tools and a music maker, pushing the boundaries of what a video game console could be used for.
Decades later, Nintendo has found a really different way to channel the same spirit.Super Mario Makerwas revolutionarywhen it first came out. For years, fans ofSuper Mariodreamt of making their ownMariolevels and games. Nintendo brought that wish to life in extraordinary form throughSuper Mario Makerand its even more ambitious sequel. Even years after this spinoff franchise began, it’s hard to think of another game about game design that’s as simple and approachable. However,Mario Makerstill comes with plenty of limitations; there’s only so much that fans can do with theMarioformula, but theMario Makersequel released so quickly after the first game suggests that Nintendo is really interested in parting the game design curtain for fans.
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The Game Builder Garage Era
That’s whereGame Builder Garagecomes in. At a glance, the start of the trailer makes it looks like a bare-bonesMario Makerabout making simple IP-free platformers. It’s clearly much more than that, though. A montage toward the end of the trailer promises that fans can useGame Builder Garageto many everything from fighting games to side-scrolling shooters. The programming capabilities are probably a lot richer than the simplistic opening suggests, considering all the additional functions that Nintendo later teases.Game Builder Garageis probably much more on par withpowerful engines likeDreamsthan the cutesy trailer suggests.
Nintendo fans should probably expect it to pushGame Builder Garagepretty hard. Nintendo loves to find unorthodox uses for their software, something the experimental Nintendo Labo attests to.Game Builder Garagelaunchesthe day before E3, which can’t possibly be a coincidence. Odds are good that Nintendo will talk about it at E3, possibly highlighting its plans for the game, teasing future updates and expansions, and discussing its interest in more projects of its kind. At the very least, it’s a real power move for Nintendo to release a new Switch game so close to E3, claiming attention from the industry right before the convention.
Details onGame Builder Garageare limited for now, but odds are Nintendo will revisit it and explain its approach to teaching game design in the next couple weeks. It seems like it’s much more than just puttingMarioparts together on a map.Game Builder Garagereally wants to teach users all facets of game design, right down to a simulation of programming. It remains to be seen just whatGame Builder Garageis capable of. However, ifNintendo fans' recentMiitopiacreationsand a rich legacy of brilliantMario Makersare anything to go by, there’s bound to be some incredible things made with Nintendo’s latest design tool.
Game Builder Garagereleases for Nintendo Switch on July 08, 2025.
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