Nintendo doesn’t seem to be hiding the fact that it’s actively developing new hardware. After the less than stellar arrival of the Wii U (the platform has just begun to get a foothold in the marketplace thanks to games like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros.) the quick arrival of a successor to the platform was inevitable, but now those plans have taken a much more official stance thanks to statements made by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto.

As the creator of iconic characters like Mario and Link, Miyamoto has cemented himself as a figurehead for Nintendo and, as a result, oversees a large number of hardware and software development at the company. During an interview for the Associated Press, Miyamoto confirmed that new hardware was actively being developed at the Big N in a bid to see how the future platform could shape out.

“We’re focused on providing a robust line-up of Wii U software for next year. It seems like we’ve managed to do that this year and people are very happy with what we’ve done on Wii U. For the time being, our focus is on the Wii U hardware, but Nintendo as a whole has groups working on ideas for new hardware systems. While we’re busy working on software for the Wii U, we have production lines that are working on ideas for what the next system might be.”

Of course, a large portion of this internal development will be dedicated to the previously announced health initiative, but Miyamoto’s reference to Wii U software still being a massive priority for the Big N implies that this content falls outside of that forthcoming push.

Now the question falls to just what software fans could expect to launch alongside a new Nintendo platform, and it seems that Miyamoto already knows exactly what at least one would be. As one could have guessed, Miyamoto sees Super Mario as a go-to franchise for any console launch and it sounds as if the renowned developer is already going through the steps to ensure that any installment that does appear on future hardware will innovate and push the series further.

“Since we first created Mario, people have compared him to Mickey Mouse. I’ve always said Mickey Mouse evolved with each evolution in animation. You saw Mickey Mouse each step of the way. From early on, I wanted Mario to be that character in the digital world, so that with each digital evolution, he was there to usher in the next era. I think that maybe when we release the next hardware system, you can look forward to seeing Mario take on a new role or in a new game.”

Nintendo has seen better days, which is why it makes sense that it would be in a hurry to release a follow up to the Wii U. That said, this news isn’t shocking considering that many rival companies in the same market begin thinking about future gaming platforms shortly after launching their latest one. Active research and development indicates that Ninty is pushing for a new entry on the market sooner rather than later, however, but it seems unlikely that gamers can expect it to arrive within the next.

The future is always enticing, but with games like The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox and Splatoon all scheduled to arrive in 2015, it’s clear that Nintendo isn’t done with the Wii U quite yet.

Is it too soon to be developing a new console or would you like to see an upgraded successor to the Wii U? Get at us in the comments!