Mobile Animal Crossing delayed due to Super Mario Run rollout

Nintendo’s ambitious plans to release multiple mobile games in a short span of time seems to have changed somewhat: the company has announced the delay of Animal Crossing on mobile due to the Android rollout for Super Mario Run.

01-02-2017  -  by Iris Wijers

Nintendo has announced plans to release two to three mobile games every year. With mobile phones and mobile games becoming more popular, it is hardly a surprise that the company seeks to expand its presence on this platform. Perhaps the most exciting part of Nintendo’s mobile release plan, is the fact that we see many beloved classics make the move to our mobile phones.  

One part of this return of Nintendo classics that long-time Animal-Crossing fans have been eagerly awaiting is the release of Animal Crossing on mobile. The app was announced along with the release for a new mobile installment in the successful Fire Emblem franchise. While the latter can be bought as of February 2^nd, Nintendo has announced that the former has been delayed. The prospected new release date for the mobile game be fall between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018. Fans of the franchise will therefore have to wait a little longer for the release of the new installment in the series.

Reason for the delay of the Animal Crossing series is the release of Super Mario Run on Android. Super Mario Run was released on January 15 for IOS and has since been downloaded 78 million times, with 5% of players buying the full version. With the release of the app on Android planned in March, Nintendo has diverted development resources to the release and managing of this app. Super Mario Run recently received an update adding, amongst other features, an ‘easy mode’ to make the game more accessible for the broader audience.  

Super Mario Run can be downloaded for free for IOS, but costs $9.99 for full access to all content. Out of iTunes credit? We’ve got you covered below.