3D Mario for Wii U launching by October?

Nintendo will ship the all-new 3D Mario for the Wii U by October 2013, CVG has learned based on discussions with executive-level retail representatives. No further details were divulged.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced the game during a Nintendo Direct presentation in January. The game will be playable at the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo, scheduled for June 11-13 in Los Angeles, California.

Developing the new 3D Mario game for the Wii U is Nintendo EAD Tokyo, the team behind Mario Galaxy, Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Mario 3D Land.

The new 3D Mario game is one of many marquee titles Nintendo is looking toward to help spur Wii U sales. Other games coming to the platform in 2013 include Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, and The Wonderful 101.

Also in development for the Wii U are new Mario Kart, Zelda, Smash Bros., and Yoshi games.

The Wii U has struggled thus far, selling 400,000 units in 2013 and 3.45 million systems overall since launch. Nintendo's plan to turn things around includes releasing major first-party titles on a regular basis beginning in August with Pikmin 3 and better communicating the novelty of the system.