The game was created in response to Nintendo's head game developer Shigeru Miyamoto's desire to recreate the "Mario" series's single-player gameplay experience for multiple players, as he was unable to bring these ideas in the previous installments. The Wii's hardware allowed him to display enough enemies and items on the screen at once, and allowed a camera that could dynamically adapt to the players' movements, ensuring they constantly know what is the situation of their character. Miyamoto said Princess Peach was not a playable character because of her dress, since it would require "special processing and programming to handle how her skirt is handled within the gameplay." 