Super Mario Spikers

• Title — Super Mario Spikers • Developer — Next Level Games • Publisher — Nintendo • Series — Mario Sports • Released — Cancelled • Genre — Sports game • Modes — Single player, multiplayer • Platforms — Wii

The game was described as a hybrid of volleyball and wrestling, with elements of a game show.

Development of the game began in late 2006, shortly after Next Level Games had completed Mario Strikers Charged. As a reward for the success of the prior two Mario Strikers adaptations of the Mario franchise to the world of soccer, and Nintendo's general success with creating sports adaptations with Mario characters, Nintendo financed Next Level Games' efforts to create a pitch for a volleyball game. The title started off as Mario Volleyball, a simple take on Mario characters playing volleyball, similar to Mario Golf or Mario Tennis. Over time, the development team decided to implement elements of wrestling to the game, changing the title to Super Mario Spikers and adding more aggressive gameplay, making it more similar to their two prior Mario soccer games in both title and concept. This decision was inspired by Next Level Games' involvement in also developing a cancelled WWE game prior to Super Mario Strikers. Nintendo was initially open to the idea, giving the budget to follow through as a reward for the completion of Mario Strikers Charged. However, after Nintendo saw the team's pitch, it was not green-lit due to the level of violence present. A playable prototype was created before development ceased in 2007. An unnamed member of the development team stated that the game clashing with Nintendo's "code of honor" was the reason for its rejection.