Mario for Wii U at E3

It's no surprise Nintendo has a new Mario game in the works for the Wii U, but the publisher has confirmed it will be showing off the portly plumber's first next-gen excursion at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June.

A shot of the Wii U New Super Mario tech demo.

First word of the game came in a report from the Spanish news site El Mundo, which today published an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto in which the Mario creator was paraphrased as saying that a new Super Mario for the Wii U would be on display at E3. A Nintendo representative later confirmed that tidbit for Eurogamer.

Nintendo featured a New Super Mario Bros. tech demo at last year's E3, though the company emphasized that it--like all of the Wii U content shown--was simply a conceptual idea and would not necessarily be made into a full game. As with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the Wii U tech demo featured four players in side-scrolling levels. It also let players put Mii faces on top of characters' bodies.

The Wii U is scheduled for launch later this year. Although Nintendo has only specified a holiday release window, rumors have circulated that the system would see a North American launch on November 18, followed the next week by a Japanese debut.

[UPDATE] Nintendo of America confirmed the news for GameSpot, as well as the game's origins in last year's E3 tech demo.

"In a recent interview, Mr. Miyamoto confirmed that a new Super Mario Bros. game for the Wii U system will be shown at this year's E3 Expo," a Nintendo representative said. "This is based on the Mario experience that was demonstrated at last year's E3 Expo. We'll have more to announce about our plans for the E3 Expo at a later date."