Super Mario Run
Nintendo Creative Fellow Shigeru Miyamoto stands next to the Super Mario character during an Apple media event in San Francisco, California, U.S. September 7, 2016. Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

“Super Mario Run” is coming to iOS and it’s a big week for both Nintendo and Apple. The Nintendo-Apple partnership has received an unparallel amount of publicity with Apple leaving no stone unturned in promoting the game. Moreover, it is the first time that Nintendo is releasing a “Mario” game on a piece of hardware it did not build.

According to News.com.au, while the “Super Mario Run” is definitely a highly-anticipated game for gamers, they are a bit bothered about one thing. The game does not run offline and always needs an internet connection. While this may seem to be a problem for many, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto has assured that this has been done to ensure security.

“We view our software as being a very important asset for us. 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,” Miyamoto told Mashable.

“Super Mario Run” players will also require a network connection so that all three game modes interact with each other. Developers had earlier thought that they would make the “World Tour” story available without a connection. However, when operating in a standalone mode, it was messing up the connection back to the “Kingdom” and “Toad Rally” modes. The latter two are dependent on network saves. Hence, the “World Tour” mode had to be integrated as well.

“Super Mario Run” is launching in 150 countries and every country has different network environments and characteristics. This is the reason the developer had to secure all users by making an internet connection mandatory. The game is releasing on Dec. 15, Thursday, on the iOS platform for US$9.99 (AU$14).

Stay tuned on IBT AU for more updates on “Super Mario Run.”