Princess Peach: Showtime Receives Encouraging Update on Progress

The Surprise Announcement

The upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive Princess Peach game, Princess Peach: Showtime, has received its ESRB rating, suggesting that development is going well, and the game is not in danger of missing its March 2024 release date. Princess Peach: Showtime was first announced at the June 2023 Nintendo Direct event and came as a big surprise for Nintendo fans for a couple of different reasons.

princess peach showtime esrb rating

For one, many are expecting Nintendo to wind down support for the Switch and move on to the console's successor, whatever that may be. A Nintendo Switch successor console has yet to be officially announced, but the expectation is that Nintendo will reveal and release the device at some point later this year. This has made some fans question why Nintendo didn't save Princess Peach: Showtime for its new system instead of releasing it for the Switch, though the Switch's gargantuan install base likely played a role in that decision. Secondly, it's extremely rare for Princess Peach to take the starring role in a video game, and so many simply didn't expect such a game to be in the works.

Not only is Princess Peach: Showtime in development, but it has seemingly neared the very end of its development. The ESRB has issued an E10+ rating for Princess Peach: Showtime, citing fantasy violence. Typically, ESRB ratings only come out when a game is near its launch date, which suggests that fans shouldn't have to worry about Princess Peach: Showtime's release date moving from its current March 22 spot.

Gameplay and Expectations

Princess Peach: Showtime gameplay has looked rather impressive so far, with many excited to see how a Princess Peach action adventure game plays out. The main hook of Princess Peach: Showtime sees the titular princess take on a variety of roles that give her unique abilities, which she can use to overcome obstacles and defeat enemies she comes across in the game's various levels.

Princess Peach: Showtime marks the second time that Peach has ever taken the starring role in a game. The last time this happened was nearly 20 years ago when Peach was featured as the main character in Super Princess Peach on the Nintendo DS. Super Princess Peach didn't exactly light the world on fire at the time of its release, but it was relatively well-received and many Nintendo fans have fond memories of the game.

Time will tell how Princess Peach: Showtime compares, but fans don't have to wait too much longer to find out. Between the new game, Peach being featured prominently in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and rumblings of a new open world Super Mario game that could potentially feature the princess as well, it's a good time to be a Peach fan.