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Super Mario is coming to iPhone at last

After years of beating around the mobile bush, Nintendo's flagship franchise is coming to iOS. The new game is called Super Mario Run, and it's coming this December.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
Watch this: Mario jumps onto Apple's iPhone

Mario. On an iPhone.

It's happening.

Enlarge Image
GIF by Morgan Little/CNET

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto just showed off Super Mario Run, a official Nintendo game coming to iPhone and iPad this December, at Apple's San Francisco event.

Miyamoto declares: "Now, Mario is running toward his next goal: iPhone." The audience cheers.

How could Mario possibly work on a touchscreen? "The longer you tap, the higher he jumps," says Miyamoto. Mario runs all on his own.

The game isn't just a single-player experience, either. "Battle Mode will have you not only competing against your friends, but for the first time players from all over the world," Miyamoto said via his translator Bill Trinen.

Then, you'll be able to "expand and customize your Mushroom Kingdom" with coins you collect in the game.

How much will it cost?

"iOS users will be able to download and enjoy a portion of Super Mario Run for free and will be able to enjoy all of the game content available in this release after paying a set purchase price," reads Nintendo's press release.

While the game will initially be exclusive to iPhone and iPad, Kotaku reports it will come to Android as well.

You can find more screenshots of Super Mario Run in action at the game's official App Store page.

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