Super Mario Run Will Require “always-on” Internet Connection

With Super Mario Run right around the corner and many Nintendo fans eager to play, Shigeru Miyamoto reveals some non-shocking, but slightly disappointing news about the title. It will require an internet or data connection during its entire run-time.

Many mobile games that have online functions tend to only need to send and receive data at certain points, especially when launching the game. But Super Mario Run will basically need to data the entire time due to the integration of its three modes. Miyamoto spoke to Mashable on the subject:

"We wanted to be able to leverage that network connection with all three of the [Super Mario Run] modes to keep all of the modes functioning together and offering the game in a way that keeps the software secure. This is something that we want to continue to work on as we continue to develop the game. "

It's no surprise that the subject of "secure software" mostly relates to piracy, something Nintendo can't really be blamed for trying to defend against. But it does leave one to wonder if there really is no way around this, as many cases of mobile gaming happens away from a WiFi connection. How much data would Super Mario Run actually use? With the announcement of its features and how they work, one would assume quite a bit of data is sent after completing a course.

While some may blame Nintendo for this decision, it honestly makes sense. The shrinking availability of an unlimited data plan is hardly the fault of Nintendo's, as is the growing amount of piracy. Super Mario Run is a paid game with no ads, so that purchase is pretty integral to their mobile success. Ways around this issue would be playing where there's WiFi, or closely monitoring your data usage. It's still unclear how much data it will actually use, but this does ask the question on if it will effect projected success initially predicted for the game. While the game hasn't changed at all, the accessibility may have.

In other news, Miyamoto also told Mashable that they're also looking to bring Animal Crossing to the mobile space. They don't plan to port existing games to mobile like they've been doing with the eShop and Virtual Console. They aim to make games with mobile gaming in mind, much like they did with the Wii remote and Wii U gamepad.