Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem pushed back to 2017 on smartphone

Mario’s iOS debut has come at a price.

Nintendo has confirmed that both Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem, both of which were due to debut on smartphones before the end of the year, will now not be released until next year.

Said the company: "After the launch of Super Mario Run in December, Nintendo plans to deliver its previously announced mobile device titles in the Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem series before the end of March 2017."

The platform holder confirmed to Polygon that Mario’s arrival, which was announced via Shigeru Miyamoto at Apple’s iPhone 7 presentation last night, is the cause of the change.

"Based on a variety of factors, we felt it was most appropriate for Super Mario Run to launch ahead of these other two apps," a statement explained. "Our Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem titles for mobile will launch before the end of our fiscal year."

Along with the upcoming Super Mario Run and the existing Miitomo, Nintendo has now confirmed four of the five titles it said it would release in partnership with DeNA by March. Pokemon Go, remember, is not included as it’s a Niantic and Pokemon Company title.