Although the company has dabbled in the mobile market, testing the waters (successfully) with games like Pokémon Go, Nintendo has been reluctant to enter the mobile world of video games. Until now, that is, as news broke yesterday (Sept. 7) that Nintendo and Apple will be teaming up to get Mario on an iPhone by next year.
Many experts believe that the wild success of Pokémon Go (which is lauded as the most successful mobile game ever) fast-tracked Nintendo’s plan to move into the mobile market, which makes up a significant and growing chunk of revenue for video game companies worldwide. Nintendo promises to develop a total of five mobile games in house by March 2017, and their many popular franchises and characters are expected to lead the charge, bringing lifelong fans and new players into another generation of Nintendo games in a new medium.
Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto announced the plan in the lead up to Apple’s new iPhone 7 reveal yesterday in San Francisco. The first game announced, Super Mario Run, has the player in a familiar setting, as Mario constantly moves to the right and must jump to dodge obstacles and attack enemies. Many of us still remember the colorful cabinet of Mario Bros, or maybe have the more recent Mario Kart drivers linked up in an arcade, but now the red-hatted plumber will make the jump to a new platform.
With their stock soaring after the announcement, many might wonder why it took Nintendo so long to make the transition. Maybe we’ll see the mobile-to-arcade cycle completed with a full-size arcade cabinet adaptation of one of Nintendo’s new mobile games side by side with other mobile adaptations like Crossy Road or Flappy Bird. Only time will tell…
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