On 31st March PST time, Mario meets his demise.

That’s an exaggeration, but the internet seems to think so. This is because of a recent Nintendo practice that has been recent and has been mocked time and again. Let’s break down why that is so.

See, 31st March US time is when Nintendo’s latest game Super Mario 3D All-Stars (a collection featuring Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy) will be discontinued from the Nintendo eShop. If you didn’t buy the collection, then tough luck: you won’t be getting it after 31st March. In fact, the company seems committed to pull physical copies of Super Mario 3D All-Stars from shelves.

Why do this? This is because Nintendo wishes to make Mario’s anniversary feel special and unique. Hence, the limited time offer element. Here’s what Nintendo of America CEO Doug Bowser said:

“Super Mario 3D All-Stars has sold over 2.6 million in the US alone. And so clearly, consumers have been able to jump in and enjoy that. And it’s not a strategy that we’re going to be using widely, but it’s one we thought was very unique for the actual anniversary.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us in commemorating the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. We hope you continue to Power-Up and enjoy Mario and friends’ adventures! #SuperMario35 pic.twitter.com/gwZDUaXiSF

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 31, 2021

This does beg the question: will the collection make a return after some time of absence? Probably not, but a new collection might take its place to celebrate Mario’s next major anniversary. Anyway, this is why the internet is declaring 31st March the death of Mario.

This is why you see the memes below:

Mushroom Kingdom law dictates that Paper Mario must also be executed. Please look away. This isn’t pretty. #SuperMario35 pic.twitter.com/c2K4ta17rN

— Baldy (@TheBaldEmperor) March 31, 2021

Is March 31st! Mario dies today 🙁#myart #digitalart #mario #??? #luigi #???? #supermario #mario35 #SuperMario3DAllStars #nintendo #fanart pic.twitter.com/WQgwHM43KN

— Mystar?21 (@Mystar_21) March 30, 2021

Everyone's talking about how Mario dies today, but no one remembers that he actually died in 2003 pic.twitter.com/kCTCnA1f1U

— Muz ? (@MuzYoshi) March 31, 2021

Mario dies March 31 #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/g0kGEhyxYw

— Bones (@tyybones) March 22, 2021

March 31 pic.twitter.com/AYNGz95FGh

— ????? ?YORA (@yoracrab) March 30, 2021

AH YES…. THE DAY THAT MARIO DIES… pic.twitter.com/IL05xbiTbx

— ? ? KIRSTEN CANDELORE – VOICE ACTRESS ! (@lovejinkles) March 31, 2021

Mario is dead…..NOW ITS LUIGI TIME??? pic.twitter.com/eRLQtcaqY3

— Jordan (@SSJordan_SSB) March 31, 2021

https://twitter.com/_Winter_Warlock/status/1377276764926410752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1377276764926410752%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnerdist.com%2Farticle%2Fmario-dead-twitter-reactions%2F

Sorry Mario, It's March 31st… pic.twitter.com/9pWm6bBaL7

— Aurum (Team Wither!) (@AurumArt_) March 31, 2021

Mario is dead. Humanity’s collective vision goes dark and a simple message flashes before us all: pic.twitter.com/MSVgQ1CZBW

— Gene Park (@GenePark) March 31, 2021