Mobile gaming is huge. In fact, it is so huge, that Sony themselves want a slice of the multi-billion dollar mobile gaming market by introducing PlayStation Games to the iOS and Android platforms, starting with their home market in Japan first before testing out the waters elsewhere. We have seen examples such as the Pokemon GO craze sweep the world, and with constant updates being released from time to time, it will help the existing pool of gamers remain hooked, while having new ones sign up. While Pokemon and Nintendo are closely related, the latter would also like to try a more direct approach where mobile gaming is concerned -- with the release of Super Mario Run on smartphones and tablets.
When Super Mario Run arrives, you can be sure that this is going to garner a whole lot of attention, although it remains to be seen whether the rotund plumber is able to achieve the dizzy heights of Pokemon GO. Only time will be able to tell, and hindsight prove who is wiser in the call, but Mario’s maiden outing on the smartphone platform will surely top the download charts in its first week or first few weeks of availability, that ought to be the least it is capable of. As to how long it can last, and whether it can outstrip the popularity of Pokemon GO on mobile devices, analysts are already drumming up positive vibes on Super Mario Run to do so.
AppAnnie analysts have predicted that Super Mario Run’s appearance on the App Store will see him end up being a bigger success than Pokemon GO. It seems that Nintendo, having made the announcement of Super Mario Run during the keynote which was planned to roll out the spanking new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to the masses, is an underlining factor in the strong partnership between Apple and Nintendo. With Super Mario Run ready to debut officially in a week’s time on December 15 across 151 countries, coming in a free-to-play version, surely even the least curious person would want to see what the hype is all about. If it is free-to-play, why not? Just give it a twirl, and if you do not like it, simply uninstall it. However, it is pretty difficult to find someone who does not like Mario, and the numerous platformer clones on the App Store and Google Play Store which pay indirect homage to Nintendo’s Mario is testament to his enduring appeal over the generations and ages.
Once you are done with the free-to-play version and would like to enjoy more of the game, there is always the option to fork out some dough -- although we do not know just how much more, in order to unlock additional content. And by that, it would probably be new worlds to explore, something that would prove enticing enough for you to drop perhaps a dollar on and obtain hours and hours of enjoyment in return. It would be the first freemium Mario title in existence then, and when it finally makes its way to the Android platform, it is going to be an even larger success. This is one disadvantage of Super Mario Run that Pokemon GO doesn’t have -- cross-platform availability at launch.
