Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) confirming the availability of Super Mario game on iOS has sparked investor interest on Nintendo, which is already riding on the Pokemon Go wave. The stock was up by more than 20% on the news as traders reacted to the Japanese company making strides in making its prized Mario IP accessible on other platforms.
Super Mario Monetization
Mario has until now been available only on Nintendo proprietary game hardware. That is set to change the game’s legendary creator Shigeru Miyamoto having confirmed the iOS integration at Apple’s big event last week.
“We want as many people around the world to enjoy playing as Mario as possible, and they’ll be doing it first on iOS,” said Mr. Miyamoto.
Once the iOS integration is, complete players will be able download and play a portion of the game free and the rest at a price. Further helping fuel investor interest on Nintendo is the confirmation that Pokemon Go is coming to Apple Watch as well.
Nintendo is an investor in Niantic Labs, which co-developed the augmented reality game. The company has seen its stock rise above the $30 a share mark on the success of the game, which has already amassed more than 500 million, downloads worldwide.
Mobile Push
While the Japanese company has in the past resisted smartphone apps for its products, a change of course in the recent past appears to paying out. With global revenues on mobile games expected to total $36.87 billion the company can no longer turn a blind eye on this emerging area of growth.
Super Mario integration on iOS will mark the first time that Nintendo Co., Ltd (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NTDOY) has made a traditional game available on smartphones. Even though the integration is for one game, investors remain confident that the same will pay off and shift the company’s attention into mobile. A partnership in March last year with DeNA is believed to have fueled the recent expansion into mobile.
