Are Nintendo prepping a new 3D Mario title for the DS? Takashi Tezuka has certainly hinted so...

Despite not being a household name like Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka is the general manager of Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development department and has worked with Shigsy since the days of the original Super Mario Bros.

Interviewed by GameDaily, he interestingly confirmed that New Super Mario Bros. had been in development since Nintendo were preparing Super Mario 64 for the DS' launch. "Some of the characters in that we decided would already be carried over into the new 2-D platformer; so as early as that [the team] was already working on New Super Mario Bros.," he said.

When asked however if Nintendo were looking to develop another 3D Mario for the DS, Tezuka replied: "Well I'd love to! *laughs* I can't say anything more than that." Do Nintendo have something in development? It's not a bad guess. And R-E will be here to confirm it if it happens!

Thanks go to R-E reader Supa for bringing this to our attention!