Videos by ComicBook.com
The Tweet from Nintendo’s Japanese Twitter account can be found embedded below.
Nintendo’s Tweet does not give a specific reason for the name change. However, as Video Games Chronicle notes, it’s possible that the decision was made to avoid any connotation with a racist slur. It’s also possible that Nintendo simply wanted the character to have the same name across all territories. This wouldn’t be the first time the company changed a character’s name to be the same across regions; prior to Super Mario 64, Princess Peach predominantly went by the name “Princess Toadstool” in North America. Super Mario 64 established “Peach” as her first name, while “Toadstool” became her last name, though it’s rare to see her full name used anymore.
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Spike appears as Mario and Luigi’s former boss, and is voiced by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. When the brothers first appear in the film, it’s revealed that they’ve quit their jobs working construction in order to open their own plumbing company. The two find themselves ridiculed by Spike after their commercial airs. While Wrecking Crew doesn’t have much of a story, after seeing the movie, it makes sense why Spike is one of the villains in the game, despite being the foreman and Mario and Luigi his employees: turns out the guy is just a jerk!
Are you surprised Nintendo changed the character’s name from “Blackie” to Spike? What do you think of the Wrecking Crew game? Let us know in thecomments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
