Nintendo releases smartphone Mario BLOOMBERGAfter almost two years of waiting, the big day is finally here for Nintendo Corporation and its first game for smartphones, Super Mario Run.
The release for Apple devices is the first full test of what the Japanese game maker can achieve after years of eschewing the thriving mobile-app market. While Nintendo gave a hint of its potential with the success of Pokemon Go earlier this year, that title was only partly its own creation.
Super Mario Run was developed mainly by Nintendo, with some assistance from partner DeNA Co.
Expectations have swelled since the Kyoto-based company announced a strategic shift toward embracing mobile in March 2015, adding almost US$20 billion to its market value.
Yet amid the euphoria, some are already discovering holes in execution. Macquarie Securities analyst David Gibson finds it puzzling that the game requires an internet connection and worries that the US$10 price tag for the full version might be too aggressive, especially for users in developing countries.
“It’s not like it will be Pokemon Go of 500 million downloads in two months,” Gibson said. Instead, he’s estimating about 200 million downloads by the end of March, with a tenth of users paying US$10 for the full version.
“Nostalgic Nintendo players will almost certainly spend. But what matters is if the marginal customer says this is good, yeah, I’ll spend the money.”
Investors are counting on Nintendo’s ability to breathe new life into the arcade and console icons of its heyday by getting them into people’s palms. Players get access to three levels with the free download while US$10 will unlock all 24 stages. Super Mario Run will be available in more than 150 countries.