Paper Mario Devs Are No Longer Allowed to Make New Characters That 'Touch on the Mario Universe'

The developers of Paper Mario have revealed that they are no longer allowed to make characters "that touch on the Mario universe," or modify existing Mario characters. In an interview with VGC, Nintendo veteran Kensuke Tanabe was asked about the process behind designing new villains for a franchise full of iconic antagonists like Bowser and Kamek. In response, Tanabe noted that "since Paper Mario: Sticker Star, it's no longer possible to modify Mario characters or to create original characters that touch on the Mario Universe."

https://www.ign.com