Super Mario Run launch date on Apple lifts Nintendo shares

Nintendo shares soared as much as 5.5% on Wednesday as it revealed a launch date for its first Super Mario game for mobile devices.

The Japanese gaming firm said Super Mario Run would be released worldwide on 15 December for users of Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) 's iPhone and iPad at a cost of $9.99 for US users.

It confirmed the app would cost buyers in the UK £7.99, though free access would be available for limited elements of the game ahead of any purchase.

Nintendo has not yet given a date for Android users.

The game marks a significant departure from the company's refusal to enter the mobile gaming sector - previously preferring to concentrate on its core console business.

The massive success of the Pokemon Go game has helped drive its tentative shift in thinking.

Nintendo's shares more than doubled in July - making it more valuable than Sony (Hanover: SON1.HA - news) at one point - as the game exploded in popularity and led to half a billion downloads worldwide.

It later emerged that the company did not own the licence to the game, erasing some of the added market value.

Its stock closed almost 3% higher on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, with investors seemingly encouraged by its added focus on mobile.

Neil Campling, analyst at Northern Trust Capital Markets, said: "To set a low incentive and then a low total cost when engaged could set Nintendo on a differentiated path, which ultimately could be a game changer."

Last month, Nintendo cut its sales and operating profit outlook for the year as the strength in the value of the yen hit its earnings.

It said Pokemon Go's popularity had failed to offset sliding sales of 3DS and Wii U games.

A new hand-held console called Switch had already left investors underwhelmed.

Nintendo recruited Japanese mobile specialist DeNA last year to develop its mobile games with help from Shigeru Miyamoto - the legendary creator of Mario and other Nintendo classics.