Nintendo's "Super Mario Run" for iOS devices is now considered to be the largest launch in the history of Apple's App Store. The new game garnered 2.85 million downloads on its first day alone.
The side-scrolling game is offered in about 150 countries worldwide and the total downloads has already risen to 5.6 million since it was released on Dec. 15. The previous record holder was "Pokémon GO," which was downloaded 900,000 times on its release day. However, the augmented reality game was initially rolled out to only three countries and, up until now, game developer Niantic is still releasing it in other territories. It was rolled out in India and other parts of Asia only recently, according to Mobile Syrup.
The success of the first smartphone game from Nintendo is attributed to the non-stop promotion of the game before its scheduled release. It was always promoted on Apple's applications store and was even featured on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" one week before its launch date.
The Japanese gaming company was initially hesitant to develop games for the mobile market. It was quite protective of its intellectual properties and, apparently, only wanted their franchise characters to remain exclusive to their gaming hardware. However, in 2014, the company acknowledged that the mobile market has the potential to be a financial performer; hence, they decided to try and test the waters. Still, the community was stunned when "Super Mario Run" was announced during the iPhone launching event last September.
Meanwhile, "Super Mario Run" for Android does not exist yet, so users are warned to be careful about what they download. The search for the latest game's APK (installer file) is on the rise, but instead of getting a game, devices could get infected by malware or virus, according to Android Central.
However, a game similar in concept can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. It is called "Super Plumber Run" and, according to WCCFTech, can be an alternative while waiting for the official Android version from Nintendo.
"Super Mario Run" is free to download for iOS devices and users can play the first three levels of the game. To unlock all the levels, players need to purchase the game for a $9.99 one-time fee. The Android version is expected to land sometime next year.