Super Mario Run hits 200m downloads, but is still short of Nintendo goals

Nintendo has revealed that mobile title Super Mario Run has now been downloaded 200m times.

Of that total, 90 per cent have come from outside of the Japanese market.

Run is initially free to download but then requires a purchase to unlock all but the earliest game content. And it sounds as if the model hasn’t quite delivered the goods for Nintendo, with an unsatisfactory number of downloads being converted into purchases.

“Although we have not yet reached an acceptable profit point, we have learned a lot in terms of game development and deployment that we want to take advantage of moving forward,” president Tatsumi Kimishima said in an investor presentation.

“Our aim is for this application to be the definitive Mario application for smart devices. The major update to version 3.0 in September added, among other things, the new ‘Remix10’ mode to allow for shorter bursts of thrilling play. Thankfully, it appears that ‘Remix10’ and other updates have excited both consumers who have already purchased Super Mario Run as well as consumers who are downloading it for the first time.

“We also ran campaigns to foster more interest, including a special price offer for a limited period, to commemorate the release of the new version.”

Fellow smartphone release Fire Emblem Heroes, however, is performing better.

Despite user numbers declining from launch until August (after which they have become to climb), Kimishima says the game is “on track to meet our overall business objectives, including our profit objectives”. The revenue share claimed by overseas markets is also growing, and plans are in place to expand the game to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, Thailand, and Singapore.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which rolls out next month, will also be free to play, but players will be able to purchase the Leaf Ticket in-game currency.

Added Kimishima: “We will continue services for applications that have already been released, and we will continue releasing new smart device applications on the order of two to three per year.”