Nintendo sparks fears after killing Luigi and seeing his soul torn out of his dead body

An official account eventually tweeted that Mario's brother is 'okay'

(Nintendo)

Nintendo sparked fears for the future of Luigi after it showed Mario's brother being graphically killed and its soul tearing itself from his body.

But the company has acted to ensure that fans don't worry about the character and tweeted that he is "okay".

Luigi's violent death came as part of the live Nintendo Direct broadcast this week, which showed footage from the upcoming Super Smash Bros game. One of the many announcements revealed during that stream was that the game would include levels and characters from the Castlevania games.

Those were introduced by having Luigi head into Dracula's castle, as shown in the game. There, he met the grim reaper, and feinted in fear – after he did so, he was cut in half.

Nintendo appeared to confirm the death of Luigi by showing his spirit leaving his body, which stayed still on the ground.

Amid horrified reactions and worries that Luigi had been killed off permanently, Nintendo was forced to confirm that he would be OK.

"Luigi is okay," one of Nintendo's official accounts tweeted.

But many continued to voice their disbelief because of the violent death he had clearly endured. It is unclear how he will come back from being chopped in half – whether he will be revived within the game or another Nintendo Direct, or if it will simply not be mentioned again.