Super Mario Run requires an internet connection to play

Super Mario Run is out in 5 days and information about the game is coming in thick and fast. Shigeru Miyamoto has been on the press tour and in a new interview with Mashable spoken about the game and revealed something a little controversial. Super Mario Run will require an internet connection to play at all times.

This mandatory online connection extends to all game modes and is apparently there to keep things ‘secure’;

For us, 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.

We wanted to be able to leverage that network connection with all three of the [Super Mario Run] modes to keep all of the modes functioning together and offering the game in a way that keeps the software secure. This is something that we want to continue to work on as we continue to develop the game.

That’s a really odd statement but when you hear why it’s coming to iOS first, it makes sense. Essentially Nintendo don’t want the game to be pirated and that’s a whole lot easier on Android.

But actually, the security element is one of the reasons that we decided to go with iPhone and iOS first. So this is just — based on the current development environment — a requirement that’s been built into the game to support security and the fact that the three different modes are connecting to the network and interacting with one another.

We had thought at one point that it would be nice to have the World Tour mode available standalone, to be able to play without that connection. But then the challenge is when that’s operating in a standalone mode, it actually complicates the connection back to the Toad Rally and Kingdom modes. And because those two modes are relying on the network save, we had to integrate the World Tour mode as well.

Games that require an internet connection all the time aren’t unheard of on mobile, Pokémon Go is one and Final Fantasy: Brave Exvuis is another. Other games with leaderboards and ghosts usually can still be played offline and be synced later.

Does this revelation change your opinion on Super Mario Run? Will you still fork out the $15 for it if you can’t play it on a plane or in poor reception areas?