The Mario Game That Led to Bankruptcy 

Thanks for watching!

Rest in peace AlphaDream (2000-2019). You were not just a video game company, because you were a great one. 😞

The only reason people hate on the Koopalings is because of new soup overusing them with actual demonstrating the full scope of their personalities.

I am still holding out hope that Nintendo themselves will makes Mario& Luigi 6. My biggest fear however is, if they do... Will it go down the same direction Paper Mario went, because while I like Color Splash and Origami King, there's a shift in soul for them, and I'd argue for Mario&Luigi, a shift in soul would be a fate worse than cancelation. Edit: LET'S FREAKING GO EVERYONE, IT'S BACK, WE'RE BACK, IT'S REAL!

This was by far the best spinoff series (not counting paper mario) such a shame to see it end like this

1:37 IT NOW DOES!!!!!! Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Still seems kinda bogus that Nintendo wouldn't save one of their most important third-party developers. But this is the same company who let Rare get acquired by Microsoft.

Thank you for making this. It makes me feel special being someone that beat the entire remake and side mode 100%. I’m glad to know that the developers of my favorite series ever are doing alright even if they are now working other jobs. Rest in Peace Alphadream, and thank you for making our childhoods so much more special

Bowser Jr's Journey is an exceptionally written side mode and it's a shame more people didn't play it

The funny thing is that I fully completed the Side-Mode but forgot to go back to the Main Mode and finish the game. I was just before Dark Fawful too.

I bought this game the day it came out. I actually didn’t touch the main story at all. The only reason I bought the game was for the Bowser Junior‘s journey mode. I thought the mode was really good. Just something fun to do in short little bursts, and I also thought the story was easily the best Mario story we’ve gotten in years. It wasn’t until months later I actually decided to play the main game

The scene where Bowser Jr is asked "Are you evil?" will accompany my forever.

I miss AlphaDream. Mario and Luigi games will always be one of my favorite game series. I will forever remember the memories the games gave me, ESPECIALLY dream team. That game was so creative and fun, and while I haven't played partners in time or superstar saga so I don't know if those mechanics were reused, dream team will probably be one of my favorite games like... ever. Its super sad to see them have gone bankrupt, and even though I knew about the situation long before, It's STILL heartbreaking. I'm trying to express how much I wish they were back and still making these games, but I don't know if there's even a word for how much I long for it. The games felt so new and even though I never beat a single one of them, even just restarting them over and over again cause I was stuck felt so fresh and fun every time. The mix between top down and 2d platformer is such a great concept and I wish that it was used more. I like them more then just the mainline Mario games, I swear, if I had three wishes I guarantee one of them would be to bring AlphaDream back. Anyways now im going to sleep g'night

Im just glad the workers are okay. They were very talented and deserved the best

Bowser Jr’s Journey may not be the best gameplay wise, but it is GENUINELY one of me and my sister’s favorite games to revisit the cutscenes of! We find the story both absolutely bonkers and surprisingly more than serviceable to these characters and their dynamics! It’s such a fun watch for so many reason!

I also heard that the game didn't sell to great because it was released the same day as New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and that game sold more than Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey.

I didn't even realize there was an entire Koopaling-filled side-plot in the Inside Story remake. I can't believe it got so little attention and love, with how great those characters are and all. Thank you for digging into all this and finding all this out.

I miss Alphadream every day…man are the M&L games special. Maybe one day we’ll get a new one. Some day… Had to go listen to Travelling about on a Journey of Memories once again after this vid in memory of Alphadream. So thankful for all the joy and amazing times and memories everyone that worked on those games has managed to bring me time and time again. Memories that will never die DAMN RIGHT THEY'LL NEVER DIE WE'RE SO BACK BOYS LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO

"Is it wrong to help my dad take over the Mushroom Kingdom" sounds like a Japanese anime series

The Hamtaro and Mario & Luigi games are some of my favorites from my late childhood and early adulthood, and I appreciate the work and soul they put into those games more than I can say. They went beyond the usual formula of "Mario gotta save Peach" and "Hamtaro and friends solve a problem" by creating unique characters, scenarios, and worlds not present in the source material in ways that elevate the Marioverse and the Hamtaroverse to new levels that wouldn't have been reached otherwise. Fawful's mustard of doom will always have a special place in my heart.

if alphadream made Bowsers Inside Story 2, they'd clearly be a multi quadrillion dollar company by now

Coming back in 2024 with the announcement/release (pending on when you read this) of a new Mario & Luigi game for the Switch that isn't a remake

If it wasn’t for alpha dream things would be very different for me, when I was much younger I played the original bowsers inside story and I’ve bonded with a friend during my school years where I didn’t have many friends, it was a release from the tough school life

If they did a similar minions side story for the Partners in Time remake they could’ve added Fawful as the main character and show how he met Midbus

Well we have Mario and Luigi brothership.

Okay I'm sorry I know iggy survived but THE BFFS JUST FUCKIN PUSH HIM OFF A CLIFF

Honestly, I'm so, so happy to know that the former Alpha Dream employees are still working in the industry and still keep in contact. As for M&L, I'm actually okay with the series being over. I'd just like the series to get ports to Switch (or whatever future Nintendo consoles)

Bowser Jr amd The Koopalings are by far my favorite characters and it's sad to see that the game that have them the spotlight and story is the same game that ruined the series

And a year later, we have a brand new Mario & Luigi game for the Switch!

I come after the June 2024 Nintendo Direct to say... WE ARE SO BACK FELLAS! 🎉

the improvement between each of the 3 M&L games will always be unmatched, they’re forever in my heart

It’s so sad Nintendo didn’t buy them. I swear Nintendo always seems to fail at picking those companies that have done so much good for them in their time of need, like Alphadream, or of course, Rareware. Heck I was surprised they actually picked up Next Level Games, so at least one survived.

This was such a random video for me to come across, but MAN did it make me realize how much I loved playing some of the later M&L entries on my 3ds a couple years ago. I shed a tear, and its really uplifting to know most of the team is still doing well. Thank you for this video, its made my week!!

We are so back (new Mario and Luigi game)

The other reason why this game got a remake in 2019 is because of the game's 10th anniversary as it released in 2009

I never heard people say they wanted Partners In Time (PIT) remastered because it would be the natural order for them to be remade in (since Superstar Saga (1st game) was already remade and Dream Team (4rd game) was already in the 3DS style). Although I don’t doubt there are people who’ve said that though, just personally didn’t encounter them myself. The reason I heard from most people to remake PIT over BIS (Bowser’s Inside Story) is that PIT was overall considered the weakest in the series and therefore it deserved the remake more (so the bad things could be changed/removed). I do genuinely love PIT, but I probably wouldn’t have bought the remake unless it turned out to be miles better, because I do love the original style much more. It’s charming and it shows it’s age and style, simple and yet very expressive. I did not buy the remake for BIS, I actually despise it. I would’ve bought it for the extra mode, if they had kept the original sprites. I despise it for two reasons (that I remember), lag/frame rate and appearance. By watching reviews I’ve seen quite a bit of people at the time say that the frame rate/lag in game often made them miss moves, making it not that fun to play at times. Not sure if that is still true, but it seemed to be a big issue from what I remember. But most of all I hate the appearance of the surroundings being more realistic looking in BIS. I start to feel ill when I see guts and stuff, so then being more 3D and colored like that made choosing a version to buy very easy for me. No one wants to play a game that makes them feel nauseous after all.

1:13 Also little strange (and understandable), how they flipped the view in Giant Bowser fights, so that the touch screen was on the right side. This was probably done because most of the world's people are right-handed, but for myself it was a lot trickier because I'm a lefty. Luckily the original had it on the left side, so it felt more natural for me.

Thanks so much for this video and getting into contact with a dev! Alpha Dream and Mario & Luigi were my childhood and biggest inspiration. When I heard they went bankrupt out of nowhere, I don't need to say how depressed I was and still am. But simply hearing that the devs are all good made me cry from happiness. :3 Also I absolutely loved the remakes. I too think they would've been better on the switch, doesn't change that the new graphics were beutiful and the side modes are so fun, I want to make a full fangame just based on Bowser's Mnions since then.

I've been waiting for a Bowser's Minions/Jr sequel forever.

A year later a Mario and Luigi game after said video after Alphadream got shut down.

Wow I didn't know Brothership actually recycled villains from BIS 3DS that's actually really interesting.

Thank u so much ❤❤ I really loved how you treat the nostalgia we have, this is the kind of video that makes my day better, from now on I'm your subscriber 199

Well said. RIP Alphadream, but glad to hear the devs themselves are okay

i knew this was gonna be bowser jrs journey,was incredibly saddening watching one of my favourite series die on a mediocre note

Knowing the team still keeps in contact and are all mostly doing well is amazing to hear. We'll miss their time together as AlphaDream, but just hearing that these highly talented people managed to keep going despite the company's fate is a great relief. If I could remember names, I'd definitely be excited to see them involved with other properties I like. (Since you mentioned SEGA and also mentioned that AD helped on the Olympics, I think it's safe to say that that experience gave them a great contact. SEGA of Japan being surprisingly based for once)

Larry is supposed to be the leader of the koopalings

I actually prefer bowser jr’s journey I love an adventure with the koopalings

The graphics were not exactly "upgraded" the beautiful 2D sprite expressions and smoothness were lost

Funny how people hated that Nintendo still made games on a dead system, here we are today.

Wow, I’d never had imagined the story behind this game and company if not for your effort here! Thanks for sharing this with us. It’s sad to see such a brilliant company’s downfall. I wonder if any other games from this series might be produced in the future…. I don’t know who holds the rights to the series hahaha

I honestly have no idea if their gonna try to revive it for the Switch themselves or not since AlphaDream is well dead, it was quite popular with good sales but they don't talk about it much so I dunno

You wouldn't belive what happened...

Situations like this is what lead to some people thinking it was their civic duty to financially support nintendo for a while around the wii u and 3ds era

I still pray that Alphadream returns...

Bro thanks for investigating all this and sharing this update about Alphadream! While the chances of them ever coming back for M&L6 are basically none, the fact that they’re still in touch with each other gives me at least the smallest glimmer of hope that the team reuniting for another project may happen one day.

Now, this is definitely going into conspiracy theory-levels, but I think Nintendo and the Mario Mandate might have a hand in all of this. After Super Paper Mario came out, Nintendo became a lot more strict on what was permissable to do with the Mario IP. You all probably know how it goes and how Sticker Star's devs were told to only use pre-established content from the series. Now, I think that AlphaDream had some backbone and rebelled against this mandate. They made Dream Team and packed it full of original and interesting characters regardless, so Nintendo doubled down on the mandate with Paper Jam and kept a close eye on them. When AlphaDream realised they could not make new games with original content anymore, they just decided to remake old games that still had original content. And with these remakes, they could still use original characters they'd established beforehand, like Fawful, so it was something at least. They even tried to implement original characters with the Best Fitness Friends. And at this point, I think Nintendo just had enough and stopped supporting them, giving them less of an opportunity to advertise or receive financial support. Again, none of this is based on anything but pure speculation, but I think that it's not entirely out of question that something akin to this might've happened in at least some form.

The issue wasn’t that the 3ds was getting games the issue was they weren’t doing cross platform releases for some reason. Can’t get over the fact we lost og luigis mansion to a platform with less than two years of life left

You try so hard on your videos I truly believe you should have at least 10ksubs by now and 1 million views

Man I still completely miss ML series, I bet if they remastered it for the switch and not the 3DS they would’ve been good to go, since the switch was a money making machine lol

I miss this series so bad. I just bought Paper Jam so I can actually give it another shot and finish it after dismissing it as bad for so many years but it and it has some of the best (and some of the worst ngl) bosses in the series with some really cool new and returning special attacks and it reminded me just how much I adore this series from a gameplay aspect and the humor is some of the best even though most of the charm is gone. No other RPG is like the M&L games and it just really sucks that it’s pretty much dead at this point. But I am glad to see the ol’ devs are doing well for themselves!

We're back, crew

How the hell did people hate these? I friggin played this more than the game it's on. I would always have 2 of every type and buff the leaders

The one thing I liked about Bowser jr's journey was the development of the Koopalings who have had, like, zero character before and were just boss battle characters.

It is really weird how both Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario had things going on in the background that led to major issues. Enemies forced to become more generic and losing personality was a big thing. It feels like Nintendo or someone in it wanted to clip the wings of creativity that outdid what was often in the mainline games and made the mainline look dull comparatively.

I'm one of the people who played the mode. Upon getting BIS dx I just really wasn't a fan of the remake's art, music, lack of left handed mode for giant battles, etc (which was kinda strange seeing as I loved Superstar Saga dx). I actually liked Minion Quest, so despite dropping Inside Story's main game somewhere in between the first and second star cures, I did beat Jr's Journey all the way through the postgame. The gameplay, while still not super great, added multiple things like secondary captains, horde attacks, and formation bonuses that made it a lot less brainless than Minion Quest, and I loved the story! It's been a few years if course but as far as I remember Jr's redemption arc was played out really well, the Fitness Friends were grest villains, and there were plenty of silly scenes between the rest of the levels such as Iggy and Kuzzle becoming close or the run in with the Shroobs in Bowser's freezer. I wish more people would give the mode a chance, even if through the more shady means of aquiring the game, because I think it's unerappreciated

WE ARE SO BACK!!!!!!!!! FUCK YEAH

I bought this game, the side mode was awesome. I suggest people pirate it if they can, it’s super good. I have not seen it for sale in years

I would have loved to see partners in time remastered, It was my favorite... R.I.P. AlphaDream.

tbh, I'm one of the people that actually really liked playing the remake of M & L Bowser Inside Story, and I had a lot of fun on the game. I have both original and remake version of the game too.

Nintendo put the original Mario n Luigi on the Switch online Expansion Pack. Probably didnt have to pay Alpha Dream anything.

My hypothesis about them losing so much money is that they went too ambitious with Dream Team. It's a much longer game than all the others before it and has a lot of 3D assets which I'm pretty sure is something the devs never did before. And after the game didn't sell enough to make back how much they spent on making it, they tried to get even with reusing their engine for remakes. It's really sad. They tried to bite off more than they could chew and it led them to their end. But hey, we got some great games out of it at least.

It's sad that we will never have a sixth game. Maybe if Nintendo and Alphadream made smarter decisions... Seriously, a Mario & Luigi game on the Switch would've been so cool.

It’s cool to see someone who probably a former plushtuber get blessed by the algorithm. I subbed.

It’s been 6 days and I still can’t believe it Also I started playing this remake on my 3DS because I wanted to play Bowsers Inside Story again, I wanted to decide if the remake was better than the original and I wanted to see if the game was that bad. I’ve not gotten that far right now, I’ve gotten to the point after you complete the first giant bowser fight but I’ve not gotten inside Bowser’s Castle yet. And the side mode I have done one battle. I prefer the artstyle of the original game but that’s a minor change. However, while some attacks like the hammer feel nicer, I feel like attacks like the green shell feel off and do awful damage. The game feels less natural which I find kinda off. And also, attacks doing less damage make battles drag on which isn’t necessary. I’m bringing this up because the durmite fight went on so long it became unfun. This was never an issue in the original game. These issues are all very noticeable in the durmite fight. However, maybe it was just her. Hopefully it was just her. I swear if Junker goes from the easiest boss in the game to one of the hardest… The side mode I feel like has extremely boring gameplay. The one battle I did was basically just me sitting there and watching. What am I trying to do? However, I’m gonna continue it because I love the idea of adding to an already great story to show what other characters were doing at the time. I like the highlight on Bowser Jr and the koopalings Overall, it’s a great game because it’s bowsers inside story but it has weird design and business choices

Hey! Great job with this video! I've been searching info on Alphadream for a couple of days now until i got here and you made a great investigation work! I love seing growing YT channels (I have a Star Wars one with similar subs than yours) going this far in the work! I'l be watching the rest of your videos! Regards from Argentina!

Absolutely loved this video, thanks for getting some closure about AlphaDream as they literally made my favorite game of all time. I also wanted to ask if you had any form of contact social media wise as I wanted to ask a bit more about your experience with researching AlphaDream (if that’s cool of course) :) again super dope video, you earned a sub!

I remember this was released at the height of Nintendo having this bizarre fixation on retconning the Koopalings as Bowser's children. It's still a major point of contention to this day. Some people were out and out refusing to get this game because the Koopalings were depicted as just minions in Bowser's forces and nothing more. It also didn't help that they were playing second fiddle to Bowser Jr whom if we're being honest has never even come close to living up to the characters he replaced, and even back then he had long since worn out his welcome. Still the battle strategy system using Mario characters had a lot of potential and it would be nice to see Nintendo give it a second chance and flesh it out to fullest flower... like that'd ever happen.

I own the original game, but also bought the remake on Day 1 it finally released in Europe. I honestly prefer the remake for its graphics, no mic usage, harder boss battles and stuff. I do not mind the 30 FPS, but of course I won't deny that there is quite a few bugs that can come up, and certain replaced sounds that do not feel as good as the original (Luigi faking illness in the Clinic). But aside that, I still prefer the original and I love what it added: Cheese for Bowser, Rank up bonuses, more gear, no mic, Super Bouncer being very satisfying to use,... I played the sidemode after beating the main story again, it was alright in gameplay, I also did enjoy Minion Quest, but Bowser Jr's Journey was better with the extra features they added + The story and cutscenes were amazing! Lately when I decide to replay Bowser's Inside Story, my choice will most often be the remake, but ocassionally I will pick up the original for nostalgia.

One year later and there’s another Mario and Luigi game

Can’t wait for Brothership!

I jokingly like to imagine them giving the middle finger to Partners in Time and skipping ahead to the "fan-favourite" Bowser's Inside Story was the karma that resulted in their bankruptcy.

rip Alpha Dream

I didn't know AlphaDream was having a hard time. This makes me feel bad for the employees more than ever. I wish they could offered to bring Bowser's Inside Story to the Switch. Partners in Time could've been remade sooner along with Superstar Saga instead of waiting until the 3DS was on its last legs but I understand the company was trying to keep up with other projects since The Year of Luigi.

Regarding all the late 3DS games… A lot of people were really confused as to why Nintendo kept releasing 3DS games when the Switch was already out. Games take time to make… so while these games were *RELEASED* in 2017-2019, they began their development a lot sooner. Metroid: Samus Returns, for example, started development in 2015, long before we even knew what the Switch was. It wasn't released until September 2017, only about a month and a half before Super Mario Odyssey. By the time these late 3DS games came out, it would've been beyond stupid for Nintendo to can the projects and begin them anew and have them tailor-made for Switch. By that late stage in development, it was better to just stay the course and just finish these late 3DS projects as is. There are projects currently in development that we won't know about for many years to come. People always act like certain projects only come into existence out of thin air when Nintendo formally announces them… not taking into account that they've been worked on for many years prior.

If the M&L series is never getting a sequel, then I at least hope we get a Dream Team port/remake for the switch. That game is brilliant af

RIP Alphadream. You made my one of my favourite game series of all time. You are missed

i proudly played and enjoyed both Bowser's Minions and Bowser Jr.'s Journey

We wouldn't end up getting a switch entry for M&L until 2024

Im still sad about what happened to these guys. I boot up the original inside story and dream team every now and again because they are legitimately my favorite mario games ever made. Missed Superstar and Partners in time tho (paper jam didn’t look appealing)

I really hope that the OG devs got to work on Brothership

i hope they port these

Who else is watching this after the new mario and luigi game was announced?

"The death of a company" - The death of one if my favorite series as well... Still don't know why people hate paper jam and dream team, they felt like fun diversities of the M&L series... Still... Why'd it have to happen to ALPHADREAM of all companies...

Great video! Cool research too, really well done. Happy everyone landed on their feet, BiS is one of my favorites.

I hadn't heard of this game before... you're telling me there's a Mario game with vore _and_ inflation? what the hell

I feel like they would have made sales if they released the bowsers inside story remake on the switch instead of the 3ds

we're so brosback

I thought this was talking about Nintendo going bankrupt,I was so happy at the thought of that but I guess an actually good company has to take the L, ☹️.

i would wish AlphaDream to return somehow but i don't know if it would be good idea

The fact that this is how I found out about what the gameplay of the Jr sidemode was is all that needs to be said to how many people actually played the remake and how poorly it was advertised. No one bought the game because the target audience ALREADY HAD THE DS VERSION and they did NOTHING to entice new fans that Dream Team and Paper Jam didn't already try.