Nintendo today released its first game featuring the iconic character Mario that we have all grown up playing during a certain phase of our life. Called Super Mario Run, the game is essentially a side-scrolling runner but it comes with plenty of twists and tweaks that make it addictive and increase its replayability.
Now, before you get all excited about playing Super Mario Run on your Android device, there’s one important thing that you need to know: the game is not being released for Android today. So, don’t fall for posts that you will see on the internet today with titles that suggest you will be able to download and play Super Mario Run on Android from today itself. Nintendo has teamed up with Apple to first release the game on iOS. Considering how Nintendo first demoed the game at WWDC and how Apple set up a special page for the game on the iOS App Store, it’s clear that both companies have worked closely on the game — or at least their PR teams have.
Nintendo has not revealed why it is not releasing an Android version of Super Mario Run alongside its iOS version, and neither has it provided an update on when the game will land on Android next year. It’s definitely not due to the lack of expertise since mobile game development company DeNA is the one that is making these games for the company. Given how serious Nintendo is about protecting its IP and the game from piracy even on a relatively secure platform like iOS — evident from the always-on internet connection requirement of the game, it is possible that the high piracy rate of popular games and apps on Android has played a key role here. If the high price tag of $9.99 on iOS is anything to go by, the Android version of the game won’t be cheap as well, which automatically makes it a given that it will be pirated in high numbers. Sadly, while Nintendo and the company’s PR team can definitely be blamed here for not launching Super Mario Run on Android on the same day as its iOS release, this move also shows that companies — intentionally or unintentionally — still consider and prefer iOS as their platform of choice.
