A recently published Super Mario Run patent application suggests that some Mario Kart Tour developers moved over. Out of the 5 inventors listed (img below), 3 are named in earlier MKT patents. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are now full-time on SMR, but at least work on it in some capacity.
As for the Super Mario Run patent itself: After the player’s made a certain number of errors, an auto assist mode is activated. When they tap to jump, the game evaluates multiple trajectories and corrects the jump toward the best outcome (imgs 1-2 below).
• The duration of tap can still affect which outcome is chosen (img 1 below), preserving some user agency.
• If there’s no good outcome, the jump will be delayed for a brief moment in case a good option emerges (img 2).
• The assist mode only lasts a short distance/time, so that the game doesn’t become too easy.
I haven’t played Super Mario Run in a long time, therefore can’t say if this auto assist feature is implemented. Regardless, it’s a smart design while remains nonintrusive.
[Originally posted on 2026-07-10 Pacific Time]
