Despite reportedly grossing $30 million in two weeks, revenues of Super Mario Run did not meet expectations according to Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima.
The first official Mario game for mobile devices was released for iOS in December 2016 and came to Android in March 2017. Unlike many similar mobile games, it does not use a ‘freemium’ model – where users can download a fully-playable version of a game for free and purchase extra features if they wish – instead, players can download a limited demo version of Super Mario Run and pay $10 for the full game if they like what they see.
“We honestly prefer the Super Mario Run model,” a senior company official said. It is hoped that this model will put Nintendo games in front of a larger audience (who may have never interacted with the company before), potentially persuading them to purchase a Nintendo console in the future – such as the new Nintendo Switch.
Meanwhile, other Nintendo properties including Fire Emblem: Heroes and Pokemon Go are experiencing huge success on mobile.
