The brilliant minds behind the original 'Super Mario Bros.' are creating Mario's first iPhone game

The original "Super Mario Bros." is a classic video game.

It's a colorful, surreal, delightful game that's still beloved by millions of people the world over.

Nintendo

A screenshot from Nintendo's 1985 classic video game Super Mario Bros.

Complimentary Tech Event

Transform talent with learning that works

Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

And, for years, it was the first video game played by millions of children.

But times have changed!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Today's kids are growing up with smartphones in the same way that I grew up with the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Nintendo's creative lead, Shigeru Miyamoto - the father of gaming classics like "Super Mario Bros." and "Donkey Kong" - understands this change. He's responding to it with a brand new Mario game that's tailor-made for the iPhone generation: "Super Mario Run."

Nintendo/Apple

If you've ever played stuff like "Jetpack Joyride" or "Canabalt," you'll be right at home. The game stars - who else? - Super Mario. He runs forward automatically, and all you need to do is tap to jump. The longer you hold that tap, the higher he jumps. Simple!

But this is much more than Nintendo making a cash grab with its most iconic character. The game is being developed by many of the same folks who, over 30 years ago, created the iconic "Super Mario Bros." for the NES.

"The team that's developing 'Super Mario Run' is actually mostly comprised of the original Super Mario development team," Miyamoto told Time in an interview following Apple's big iPhone event (where "Super Mario Run" was unveiled).

Nintendo

"So [Takashi] Tezuka-san is the developer and I'm the producer," he said.

You're forgiven if you've never heard of Takashi "Ten Ten" Tezuka - he's part of the (very small) crew of Nintendo employees who go all the way back to the original Nintendo Entertainment System. He's still a leader at Nintendo, and occasionally takes on directorial duties.

Simply put: These are the folks who create Nintendo's best Mario games. And that's very exciting, because it sounds like a fantastic "Super Mario" game may be headed to the iPhone. We'll find out for sure when the game arrives this December.