Nintendo Shares Fly Again As Super Mario Run Hits Smartphones
Nintendo mascot Mario has finally made his official debut on smartphones with Super Mario Run and already the new software release looks like it’s on track to outrank Pokemon Go in popularity.
According to forecast data from analytics firm Sensor Tower, the app is projected to hit a whopping 50 million downloads in its first month.
Pokemon Go generated 32 million downloads when it launched in July, although this number was very much shaped by developer Niantic’s “staggered” release schedule that saw the game roll out for different regions and countries sometimes weeks apart.
However, unlike Pokemon Go, Super Mario Run isn’t free to play and is only available on iOS (at least until 2017).
The new game comes with a pricetag of $10 and it doesn’t look like Nintendo will be sharing too much of their take this time around. Pokemon Go generated money through micro-transactions but the revenue there was split between Nintendo, Niantic and Apple.
In the wake of the game’s release on December 9th, the company’s shares have risen 6.2% – a rise that puts them quite close to their valuation at the height of this year’s post-Pokemon Go bubble.