Nintendo’s Super Mario Run Falls Short of Company Expectations

Since the launch of Super Mario Run on iOS last year, little information has been forthcoming about the game’s sales performance—until now. Nintendo has officially stated that the game did not live up to its expectations. In an interview with Nikkei, an Asian publishing house, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima expressed that the game’s revenue contribution to Nintendo was lower than initially predicted.

This comes as a surprise considering last year’s enthusiastic announcements surrounding the arrival of the mobile version of the game on iOS and its impending Android release. Shigeru Minamoto, known affectionately as the “father” of Mario, was keen on the idea of launching their flagship game on two of the world’s leading mobile platforms.

“Our aim is to make Super Mario Run accessible to as many smartphone users around the world as possible”, Minamoto stated. “We want to initiate this on iOS with a brand new game. The beauty of Mario is that anyone can pick up the game and instantly start playing. This time, we’ve made it even simpler to begin. You can conveniently play one-handed whether you’re holding onto a subway handle, eating a hamburger or even enjoying an apple!”

Super Mario Run offers players a taste of the first world of the game before requiring the full price of $9.99. Upon release, the game was downloaded by millions of users worldwide. However, according to reports, only 5% of these users had bought the full game by January. This is particularly surprising considering the widespread popularity of the iconic plumber and his adventures. But one must remember that the game was only officially launched on the iOS platform in December. As such, it’s possible that Nintendo may need to patient and give the game some time to acquire traction among players.

There are hopes that the long-anticipated Android release could flip the script for Nintendo, finally ushering in the widespread adoption and purchase of the game. Only time will tell if Super Mario Run can match up to to its parent company’s high expectations.