‘Super Mario Run’ Android Release Date: Nintendo Mobile Game Now Available At Google Play

Nintendo has released its mobile game Super Mario Run for the Android platform one day ahead of schedule. Android users can now download and install the game via the Google Play Store. The game comes with a version 2.0 update, which includes new Yoshi colors and new buildings, according to Gamespot. There are also more levels of the game open to play for free. The version 2.0 update is also available for the game on iOS.

The overall price of Super Mario Run remains the same at $9.99. Users can play a few levels of the game for free but will be asked to purchase the game in full once the free levels have been cleared.

Android users hoped Nintendo would drop the price of Super Mario Run with the new platform release. Pundits noted that a price drop to $6.99 would have been a considerable difference for Android users, who typically spend less money on full mobile games than iOS users.

While more than 78 million iOS users have downloaded Super Mario Run, only 5 percent of users have purchased the game in full. It remains to be seen how Android users will react to the game in terms of usage. However, many Android users have already sounded off in the game’s review section in the Google Play Store, stating they refuse to pay $10 for a mobile game.

Android users in particular are more accustomed to the free-to-play mobile game model, which allows users to download and play an entire game for free and purchase in-app-purchases to help them advance in game faster. Mobile users tend to spend more money on in-app purchases than they do on actual mobile games, but Super Mario Run does not have in-app purchases. Users must clear levels to unlock special aspects of the game, meaning they can potentially spend more money on a free-to-play game overall several months than they do on Super Mario Run in one purchase.

Still, the game includes only 24 levels, to which Nintendo does not intend to add, while many free-to-play games have new levels added regularly.

Super Mario Run first released exclusively on iOS in November 2016. Nintendo reportedly held the Android release of the game to deter users from extracting its apk files to pirate the game.