GAMETECH: Plumbs-up for mobile Super Mario

RUNNING a business isn’t easy. Heck, running isn’t easy. Yet somehow Nintendo has combined both to great effect in its first ever mobile release. Super Mario Run hits the App Store today, with huge sales expected.

In October, Apple CEO Tim Cook said more than 20m people had asked to be notified when the game was ready to access, while 50m downloads are expected in the first month. It will be interesting to see if those numbers hold up, but either way this is a historic moment for Nintendo — and gaming in general.

Ten years ago, releasing a Mario game on platforms other than a Nintendo console would have been inconceivable.The Italian plumber is synonymous with their hardware and everything the company stands for. It would be like Roy Keane playing football for England. Yet today Mario graces the mobile screens of countless gamers across the world, and it’s undoubtedly the right decision.