Nintendo has faced controversy for Super Mario Run due to the $9.99 price tag it placed upon the mobile game for users to unlock the whole experience, but its popularity could not be doubted.

Less than two weeks after it was rolled out to iOS devices through Apple's App Store on Dec. 15 last year, Super Mario Run reached 50 million downloads, quelling concerns that it might not be able to reach its expected popularity.

However, another important question remained: when will Super Mario Run arrive for Android users? Over a month after the mobile game was released for the iOS, Nintendo has finally hinted at a release date for the game on Google's mobile operating system.

Nintendo Tweets Super Mario Run For Android Release Date

A tweet by the Japanese Twitter account of Nintendo revealed that the Android version of Super Mario Run will be released by March.

The statement did not indicate a specific release date for the game, but it did note that the Google Play Store is currently accepting sign-ups for users to receive notifications once Super Mario Run is made available for Android users.

As such, there will be a three-month gap between the iOS and Android versions of Super Mario Run.

Why Was The Android Version Of Super Mario Run Delayed?

It has been previously reported that among the reasons for the delay of bringing Super Mario Run to Android devices is the fear of Nintendo that the game will suffer from piracy on Google's mobile operating system.

Compared to Android, Apple's iOS is much more manageable and controlled, but even then, Nintendo decided to require an always-on internet connection for Super Mario Run to prevent piracy from striking the game.

Another possible reason for the delay is contractual matters, as a technical issue causing it is unlikely. This is because Super Mario Run was created on the Unity game engine, which was designed to make it easy to port titles between platforms. While porting Super Mario Run from iOS to Android could result in certain problems, it should not be that difficult to do so as the game is not needed to be rebuilt from scratch for the Android version.

Whatever the reason may be, it has pushed Android users to resort to alternative and often-dangerous methods of being able to play Super Mario Run on their devices. There were certain APK databases that were released that promised to bring Super Mario Run to an Android device upon sideloading them, but they turned out to be malware or viruses.

How Has Super Mario Run Performed So Far?

While Super Mario Run was able to reach the milestone of 50 million downloads within two weeks from being released for the iOS, its actual success remains unclear. According to analysts, the performance of the game has not reached expectations.

Super Mario Run was downloaded 2.85 million times on its launch day, but it was described as stumbling out of the gates due to its price point and payment model. In fact, the release of Super Mario Run, instead of driving Nintendo's stock up, caused them to plunge into a freefall.