> I think the GP doesn't know the conspiracy theories, but expects them to be invented in attempts to rationalize the inclusion of unused assets.
It takes less effort to google 'mario 64 conspiracy'[0] than it did to create the fan-fic you came up with while assuming that the GP was rationalizing things.
Why assume negative connotation where there is none? It was a silly conspiracy poking light-hearted fun at conspiracy theorists.
The GP's phrasing "the guaranteed follow-up" that made me suspect the GP had seen conspiracy theories about other video games, but hadn't yet seen any conspiracy theories about this latest find, and was anticipating a future conspiracy theory. Sorry if my phrasing sounded malicious.
