This is a surprise. An actual surprise. A surprise guest at Apple’s iPhone event is Shigero Miyamoto. For those who don’t know, Miyamoto is the person responsible for a certain plumber who represents a certain Japanese game company. One that’s been rumoured to be making the jump to mobile platforms, at last.
That’s right, Nintendo is going to be making mobile games. The first of them, Super Mario Run, is a constant runner starring Nintendo’s most famous mascot. It’ll be appearing on Apple’s App Store and, hence, on iOS devices first — which suggests that Android might be getting a look in down the line. But it doesn’t matter much, as Apple users are getting it first. And you can bet they’re suitably smug about it.
The game was demonstrated onstage and it looks… very Nintendo. But perhaps the best part about it is that the game will have a single price. No micro-transactions or in-app purchases or other palaver, just pay once and Mario until your thumbs fall off. As for the launch date? “Before the holiday season”. We’re looking out for that one, hard. It’ll go well with Pokémon Go, which gets its own bit of the limelight with the new Apple Watch Series 2.
iOS 10 will also be getting a set of Mario stickers, too, for those who can’t wait for the full game’s launch. We should have iOS details a little later in the evening. [Update — iOS 10 will be available on 13 September].