Nintendo Co. Ltd NTDOY designer and director, Shigeru Miyamoto, has confirmed that Super Mario will not be returning to smartphones, such as Apple Inc.‘s AAPL iPhone.
What Happened: As Nintendo gears up for its April 7 release of the “Super Mario Bros.” movie and marks its foray into the world of cinema, with the iconic mustachioed plumber making his debut on the big screen in animated form, Miyamoto has dropped a bombshell for Mario fans.
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During an exclusive interview with Variety, the video game designer didn’t mention where Mario is heading next but confirmed that it wouldn’t be smartphones. “Mobile apps will not be the primary path of future Mario games,” said Miyamoto.
According to Miyamoto, making Mario games available as mobile apps broadens the game’s reach and enhances the overall experience by enabling players to control the game with just one hand. Nevertheless, he emphasized that mobile apps will not be the primary mode for future Mario games.
Why It’s Important: Following the release of two moderately successful but declining iOS games, and the subsequent closure of another after two years, Nintendo seems to have decided to withdraw Mario from the mobile market, the report noted.
Considering the numbers — “Super Mario Run,” released in 2016, generated $60 million in its first year, while “Mario Kart Tour,” released in 2019, grossed $300 million since its debut — it became evident that Mario wasn’t winning on mobile, stated the report.
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