Running to Android Phones This Week
Nintendo has announced via their Nintendo of America Twitter account that Super Mario Run will release on Android on March 23.
For reference, Super Mario Run launched worldwide on iOS back on December 15, 2016, over three months before Android users would have the chance to save Mushroom Kingdom. During that same time period, Nintendo unveiled their third mobile app (after Miitomo and Super Mario Run) in the form of Fire Emblem: Heroes, which released on February 2 on both iOS and Android. They also launched their new home console, the Nintendo Switch, on March 3, alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which has garnered universal praise on Metacritic with a 97 aggregate among critics.
It is unclear why Super Mario Run is releasing so late after its initial launch on iOS, although it is possible that Apple had an exclusivity deal worked out with the Japanese software-maker.
To date, Super Mario Run has been downloaded over 78 million times, although only 5% of its user base ended up downloading it (via The Wall Street Journal). In any event, Android owners won’t have to wait long to see what all the fuss is about, as Super Mario Run launches on Google Play this Thursday.
