'Super Mario Run' release date: Android, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One?
Super Mario Run is set to launch for iOS devices on Dec. 15, but we still don't know when it will arrive on any other platforms. The game will eventually make its way to Android, but could it also be headed for the Nintendo Switch and even rival hardware like the Xbox One?
Super Mario Run release date: Android
Nintendo originally unveiled Super Mario Run at an Apple event on Sept. 7, but the company quickly added that it was also planning an Android release. In a statement to Kotaku, we learned that the mobile game would expand beyond iOS "at some point in the future." That could be as soon as early 2017, but it's possible Android fans may have to wait even longer.
In an interview after the event, legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto explained why Super Mario Run was coming to iOS first in an interview with Yahoo Finance.
"One of the reasons we focused on iPhone first was the stability of the platform and being able to get the level of response that we want out of the games," he said.
Nintendo hasn't revealed anything about an Android release since then, but hopefully we'll learn more after the game arrives on iOS.
Super Mario Run release date: Nintendo Switch
Moving beyond mobile devices, Super Mario Run could also launch on Nintendo's upcoming portable console, the Switch. The company actually filed a patent suggesting that could be it's strategy, though it hasn't confirmed any plans so far.
The patent, which was submitted in Japan and re-shared on gaming forum NeoGAF, mentions Super Mario Run directly by name. It also indicates that the game could work on "home video game machines." That might mean the Nintendo Switch. Then again, it could just as easily hint at plans to expand Mario onto competing video game hardware.
Super Mario Run release date: Xbox One
This one is definitely a long shot, but recent developments suggest a Super Mario Run release for Xbox One might just happen. At the very least, it looks like Microsoft is interested in bringing some Nintendo content to its gaming console.
Speaking to AusGamers, Xbox head Phil Spencer hinted that the two companies might work together on something in the future.
"I'd love to see Mario on Xbox," Phil says enthusiastically. "As someone who's been in this industry and played games forever, I'll still say it: Nintendo has the strongest first-party of anybody. They're just fantastic and the memories that they have instilled in so many of us, who've played their games and had those delightful experiences, having those on Xbox would be great."
Clearly, Microsoft is interested, but it seems unlikely Nintendo would ever bring its biggest console games to rival hardware. Then again, with Super Mario Run already launching on smartphones adding Xbox One to the list might not be out of the question.
