Super Mario 3D World, which was announced Tuesday during the Nintendo Direct at E3, includes a cast of familiar Mario characters we all know and love. Up to four players can play together or against one another as Mario, Luigi, Toad or Peach. However, one of those characters almost didn’t make the cut.

Director Koichi Hayashida revealed that Peach wasn’t originally going to be included in the game’s lineup. It was producer Yoshiaki Koizumi that suggested she be a playable character.

In an interview with Polygon, Koizumi said the following regarding Peach’s role in the game:

“I feel like Mario games, as you know, have done lots of representation of male characters over the years. Perhaps much more so than female — so it’s actually really nice to be able to have a female playable character in the game. I think she adds a lot to the sense of competition when you get in multiplayer. You can have different people choosing different characters based on their personality or whoever they like. And princess Peach is just really a lot of fun to play!”

What do you think of this turn of  events? Are you excited to see Peach as a playable character this time around, or is there someone else you would have rather seen included in the game?

Super Mario 3D World will be released for the Wii U. A release date is forthcoming.

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