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Mario on iPhone is a massive leap forward for Nintendo

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14

Super Mario Run (3)

Forget about easily-scratched new iPhones or a new Apple watch that ejects water from itself in a disturbingly sexual manner. Last night’s real headline was Nintendo releasing a Mario game on a platform that they didn’t own. On the surface this may sound like Nintendo making a quick buck, but it’s anything but that.

I mean, just think about it: The number of hardware platforms that you can count Nintendo characters appearing on that aren’t owned by the Big N can be counted on one hand. If said hand had been in an accident involving a blender. Nintendo is notoriously stingy with their IPs, rarely allowing them to exist outside of a digital eco-system that they don’t control.

Super Mario Run however, signals a new a way of thinking at Nintendo. For starters, Super Mario Run looks like a game that actually wants to be more than just yet another endless runner in an ocean of clones that drowns most new releases. “We have created Super Mario Run to be perfect for playing on your iPhone,” legendary developer Shigeru Miyamoto said in a press release.

Super Mario Run (2)

Super Mario has evolved whenever he has encountered a new platform, and for the first time ever, players will be able to enjoy a full-fledged Super Mario game with just one hand, giving them the freedom to play while riding the subway or my favourite, eating a hamburger.

And that’s not exactly easy development right there. You’ve got a game that relies on a mere thumb for control, while hopefully also allowing a brand new audience to experience the superb level design that has made the Italian plumber such an icon over the years. And while some of the best games starring Mario and pals can be found on the best-selling Nintendo 3DS handheld, the sales numbers of that console pale in comparison to the potential market that awaits Mario on iOS and presumably Android later this year once the exclusivity period ends.

So what’s the point then? It’s that Nintendo is finally growing up and is ready to do more than just flutter its eyelashes at the mobile market. Pokémon Go has been a massive success for them, even if they don’t own that game exactly. Super Mario Run is a different beast entirely however. This isn’t just Nintendo’s IP to play around with, it’s one of their biggest and re-imagined for a far more global audience.

And here’s the real kicker: If a game like Super Mario Run can create a huge splash on mobile devices even if you have to pay for it, imagine what could follow next. Nintendo has a core library of characters and games, just waiting to be exposed to a different crowd. And that’s an idea that could signal a new type of domination for Nintendo that Sony or Microsoft are largely absent from.

Nintendo is clearly thinking of a bigger picture for the future, and that’s just utterly exciting. It’s a me, iMario!

Last Updated: September 8, 2016

14 Comments

  1. No, it is not

    iPhone se ma!

    Reply

    • The Order of the Banana

      September 8, 2016 at 14:41

      iPhone is the Brianna wu of mobile devices – the ridicule is so delicious!

      Reply

  2. Fox1 - Retro

    September 8, 2016 at 14:38

    Mario has the runs.

    Reply

    • ??????? ????? ™

      September 8, 2016 at 14:40

      When you are running in town
      And your pants turn brown….

      Reply

  3. The Order of the Banana

    September 8, 2016 at 14:40

    Lol Nintendo is smelling all that casual mobile gamer wallets. They still haven’t learnt casual gamers should not be your audience.

    Reply

    • HairyEwok

      September 8, 2016 at 15:40

      They will learn. Give them time. They always learn.

      Reply

    • Alessandro Barbosa

      September 8, 2016 at 16:23

      Yeah, bet all that money they and Niantic made on Pokemon GO has totally taught them…

      Reply

      • The Order of the Banana

        September 8, 2016 at 17:13

        And it’s been incredibly sustainable, hasn’t it? I mean look how many folks are still playing Pokemon Go… Oh.. wait… lol!

        It’s basically a repeat of their Wii years: Instant gratification vs long-term financial stability. At this stage, I’m starting to think that Nintendo is being run by a bunch of drunken football hooligans.

        Reply

        • Geoffrey Tim

          September 9, 2016 at 06:37

          They’ve dropped from 100 million downloads, to a stable audience of 31 million. That’s not a small audience.

          Reply

          • The Order of the Banana

            September 9, 2016 at 10:44

            And in a few months? Will it remain 30 million? I don’t disagree about the numbers, go had stellar numbers, but my point is “is it sustainable?”. Does it have legs?

          • The Order of the Banana

            September 9, 2016 at 10:52

            Look at zynga, once the king of casual gamers, now A ruined husk, because casual gamers follow the new shinies, like a bunch of magpies. They have no brand loyalty. Didn’t Nintendo bank on those wii numbers extending to the wifi u? And what happened? Casuals didn’t even know that the wii u was a new console.

  4. BakedBagel

    September 8, 2016 at 15:26

    Welcome to 2007 Nintendo

    Reply

    • The Order of the Banana

      September 8, 2016 at 15:55

      Right in the gonads!! Ouch!

      Reply

  5. The Order of the Banana

    September 8, 2016 at 20:11

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