This information comes directly from Mario’s original designer Shigeru Miyamoto, according to Mashable. Allowing the game to be played offline was apparently too much of a security risk, as it would open the title up to the widespread piracy that can affect mobile releases.
“For us, we view our software as being a very important asset for us,” Miyamoto said. “And also for consumers who are purchasing the game, we want to make sure that we’re able to offer it to them in a way that the software is secure, and that they’re able to play it in a stable environment.”
Earlier in the development process, there were plans to offer the game’s World Tour story mode for offline play. Ultimately, this presented challenges in terms of connecting a stand-alone mode with the network save used for the online Toad Valley and Kingdom modes, so the feature was scrapped.
These security concerns are apparently part of the reason why Super Mario Run will launch on iOS before it heads to Android devices. It’s clear Nintendo is taking a measured approach to this release, which is understandable given the huge differences between supplying software for their own hardware and releasing an app to a storefront available in 150 countries.
Super Mario Run is set to launch for iOS devices on Thursday. The Android version of the app is expected to release in 2017, but no specific release date has been given just yet.
