We might finally have proof that Nintendo did NOT download a Super Mario Bros. ROM for use on the Wii VC

This one is a deep cut, boys and girls. The original story goes back to Jan. 2017, where Eurogamer put together a feature on the Wii Virtual Console and Super Mario Bros.. In a video, they propose that Nintendo actually downloaded a ROM of their own game, Super Mario Bros., and then uploaded it to the Wii VC to sell to customers. Obviously the report caused a ton of commotion back then, and the debate has been raging on ever since. That is, until some major evidence has come out today.

The Resetera crew has been keeping the topic alive, doing all sorts of detective work to find out just what the real story is. That brings us to some exhaustive research by Resetera user Krvavi Abadas. According to Abadas, the entire situation ties back to Tomohiro Kawase, one of the devs that worked on the iNES emulator. For those who don't know, Tomohiro Kawase actually works for Nintendo now. It seems the bulk of Kawase's work has been tied to implementing methods to play classic games on later Nintendo hardware/software.

If you want to get into the real dirt of it all, there are two Resetera posts that will give you every tiny morsel on the breadcrumb trail. Check out the posts here and here.

Again, Nintendo has said that they never downloaded a ROM to use on the Wii VC, while some in the emulation community believe Nintendo did. With this latest evidence, will the whole controversy finally come to a close? I doubt it, but this should definitely be a step in the right direction.