Super Mario Run Sets App Store Record With 40 Million Downloads as New Game Mode Rolls Out

[MacRumors]

Popular iOS game Super Mario Run set a new download record yesterday, following its release last week on Thursday, December 15. According to app analyst Sensor Tower, the game hit 25 million downloads in just four days, which is faster than Pokémon Go, which took 11 days to reach the same number, although that game's initial launch was limited in terms of available territories.

SensorTower's current estimate puts paid users at approximately 2.1 million worldwide. By comparison, the paid game Lara Croft Go, launched in August 2015, has been downloaded approximately 280,000 times worldwide on the App Store since release.

Image via SensorTower​

"It can't be understated, however, that the vast majority of early Super Mario Run downloaders clearly find the full game pricing prohibitive, and we can only image how much better the conversion rate could be at $2.99 or even $4.99," said SensorTower in a blog post.

Nintendo investors have so far expressed disappointment with Super Mario Run, causing share prices in the company to lose 11 percent since its release. The declines stem from negative user reviews of the game on the iOS App Store, where it is currently rated 2.5 stars out of 5 based on 4,919 reviews. This has led to concerns over the game's one-time payment model, which eschews the typical model of paying various small amounts for select in-game features.

"Mario is arguably the most popular gaming franchise in the world, yet we see only about 8 percent of those who try the game actually purchasing it," Sensor Tower analyst Spencer Gabriel told Reuters.

"I don't think this is a statement on the game's quality ... but rather the perceived value when compared to free-to-play games that offer much more content with optional microtransactions that enable players to experience it sooner."

In spite of reports that Nintendo won't be adding extra features to Super Mario Run, the company today rolled out an update to its first iOS title that adds a new gameplay mode allowing users to compete with friends without paying any Rally Tickets.

Dubbed "Friendly Run", the new mode can be played up to three times daily for gamers who paid $10 for the full content and have cleared World 1, while those who have cleared World 2 get five Friendly Runs per day. Players of the trial version can also get in on the action as long as they have some friends added in the game, but the mode can only be played once a day until the in-app purchase is made.

As noted by MacRumors sister site TouchArcade, with no coins being earned and no Toads or enemy level-ups up for grabs, the new mode is essentially just a practice mode, but it does offer a new way to compete with friends, which should add longevity to the game.

Super Mario Run is available to download for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. [Direct Link]

Update: Nintendo has since released official download figures for Super Mario Run and claims that 40 million people have downloaded the free version of the game in just four days.

Article Link: Super Mario Run Sets App Store Record With 40 Million Downloads as New Game Mode Rolls Out

 

[polterbyte]

it's a personal record for me too: the fastest game I abandoned and deleted after downloading and playing for a while.

 

[SPUY767]

Nintendo shot themselves in the foot on this one. Someone should teach them the basic rules of economics.

 

[Small White Car]

Nintendo shot themselves in the foot on this one. Someone should teach them the basic rules of economics.

Yep. Sadly, people are happier paying $100 over a year than $10 all at once.

Goodbye, single-priced apps of the future.

I hate this whole affair is just giving more fuel to that conclusion.

 

[swingerofbirch]

I don't think I'm bad at video games (I have a Wii U and regularly complete the titles I purchase), but I'm still working at getting all three types of coins in the first three levels (finally got all three on the first two, and going for black now on the third), so for me it's provided hours of entertainment (while I was watching TV at the same time), and I haven't paid anything yet. I still might buy the game, but why pay for it when I still haven't beat the first three levels? There's not much fun in just beating the level without getting the coins as it takes almost no effort, so I figure I'll "complete" each trial stage first before seeing if I decide to buy. I wonder if there are other people like me these investors are assuming would have already bought by now?

 

[BvizioN]

Make it available off line, so when I have no internet and nothing better to do on my phone, I could possibly try this game. Only then I may consider buying it. Price isn't issue for me.

 

[OliverFoggin]

Nintendo shot themselves in the foot on this one. Someone should teach them the basic rules of economics.

The rules of economics...

It won't ever cost me more than £7.99 to play... forever.

I don't need to wait for lives to replenish or pay for gems etc...

The only downside is having to listen to people whining about how they want something for nothing.

Here's a basic rule of economics for you... no one gets anything for nothing.

 

[maflynn]

I'm surprised by how fast it's growing given how poor the app store reviews are. I think we're at 2 1/2 stars. The paywall seems to come up quick and the initial play of the game was more or less boring and not challenging

I went through the first couple of levels and hit the paywall. I then deleted the game.

 

[OliverFoggin]

I don't think I'm bad at video games (I have a Wii U and regularly complete the titles I purchase), but I'm still working at getting all three types of coins in the first three levels (finally got all three on the first two, and going for black now on the third), so for me it's provided hours of entertainment (while I was watching TV at the same time), and I haven't paid anything yet. I still might buy the game, but why pay for it when I still haven't beat the first three levels? There's not much fun in just beating the level without getting the coins as it takes almost no effort, so I figure I'll "complete" each trial stage first before seeing if I decide to buy. I wonder if there are other people like me these investors are assuming would have already bought by now?

Absolutely. The game gets so much more difficult when you try to get the three coloured coins for each level.

I bought it straight away anyway (I knew I would) but playing for the pink, purple and black coins has meant I have tried some levels multiple times and still not managed it.

Really enjoying it so far
[doublepost=1482320574][/doublepost]

I'm surprised by how fast it's growing given how poor the app store reviews are. I think we're at 2 1/2 stars. The paywall seems to come up quick and the initial play of the game was more or less boring and not challenging

I went through the first couple of levels and hit the paywall. I then deleted the game.

Install it again... now go through the first three levels and collect the pink, purple and black coins from them all...

If you want a challenge then it's there.

 

[maflynn]

Install it again... now go through the first three levels and collect the pink, purple and black coins from them all...

Lol, no, it wasn't engaging enough to re-do the handful of level just to capture some of the colors. Its just not a good game imo.

 

[OliverFoggin]

Lol, no, it wasn't engaging enough to re-do the handful of level just to capture some of the colors. Its just not a good game imo.

So you deleted it because it's "not challenging" but then aren't willing to play the challenging part...? Seems legit.

 

[IndigoDesign]

Capitalism in it's final stages. It's everywhere. Look around.

 

[maflynn]

So you deleted it because it's "not challenging" but then aren't willing to play the challenging part...? Seems legit.

No, I deleted it because I found it boring and trying to get the colors is not what I call fun. It may be difficult, but its not what I enjoy.

 

[newdeal]

daily limits on a paid app? nuts to that!

 

[Macneck]

Installed/uninstalled the same day. Did it count?

 

[locovaca]

Yep. Sadly, people are happier paying $100 over a year than $10 all at once.

Goodbye, single-priced apps of the future.

I hate this whole affair is just giving more fuel to that conclusion.

Except that a number of us are ok with paying $10 but not paying $40 because Nintendo choose to weasel their way out of Family Sharing. I would've bought it but I'm not supporting it on those grounds alone.

 

[iZac]

There is a beauty to the parallel difficulties in the game - the fact that a true novice can enjoy the exact same level as an expert, but their goals are simply different. Those are hallmarks of good Mario gameplay. For the mobile community though you need to spoon feed users a bit more about what the real challenges are - the special coin runs should have been explicitly taught during the tutorial run.

Having said that, I've been enjoying getting the special coins for the free stages but I still find myself frustrated by the fact I can't run left.

People might be moaning about $10 but it would be inconceivable that this costs a couple of bucks if Nintendo release a 2.5D Mario on the Switch later this year for $50.

 

[nikaru]

I understand asking 50$ for a game for Playstation, Xbox or PC as it most likely took several years of development and tens of millions of dollars of investment in the story line, gameplay mechanics, graphics engine, development, royalties, retail costs, testing, etc.

What I don't understand is asking 10$ for an app game, with so simplistic gameplay and graphics as Mario which can be coded and designed from the ground up by a several good app developers in a matter of months (or even weeks if we consider that Nintendo is an expert with decades of experience in game development so they must have all processes really optimized and organized).

This is really bad go-to-the-market strategy by Nintendo and they shall pay the price. Im not really that surprised by this news article when I found out about the price they are asking. Candy Crush creators made tons of money while offering the game for free. Just saying...

 

[user74246]

"It can't be understated, however, that the vast majority of early Super Mario Run downloaders clearly find the full game pricing prohibitive, and we can only image how much better the conversion rate could be at $2.99 or even $4.99,"

It would be OK if it was a traditional "full game" and not a stupid in-app purchase that only works with a single Apple ID.

I bought it on our family iPad that runs with a different Apple ID than my iPhone, so I can’t play it when on the go. I sometimes wish we didn’t make the switch to using Family Sharing.

 

[puelocesar]

It's one of the most successful games on App Store, and yet I keep saying so much negativity to it on MacRumors and on the comments.. You apple fans are the worst

What did you want, another Candy Crush clone?

 

[Nozuka]

They definitley cut people off too soon. I only bought it because of a friend who told me it gets better later on. The free part was not very interesting to me.

But i'm glad i did.

 

[BruceEBonus]

Nintendo shares have dived because of this apparently. Yet Apples never do. A strange phenomenon.

 

[iosuser]

Absolutely. The game gets so much more difficult when you try to get the three coloured coins for each level.

I bought it straight away anyway (I knew I would) but playing for the pink, purple and black coins has meant I have tried some levels multiple times and still not managed it.

Really enjoying it so far
[doublepost=1482320574][/doublepost]
Install it again... now go through the first three levels and collect the pink, purple and black coins from them all...

If you want a challenge then it's there.

I am really enjoying it, and my son as well who disappointingly does not enjoy platform games like his dad does. I've gotten all of the colored coins in the first two worlds. It will get quite challenging in the later levels. This plays better than I expected. I've always been hardcore platformer, and will always 100% (or 200% in Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze) the ones I like provided it offers a good challenge. This plays as well as I could've hoped for on a touchscreen device. No way it would've worked if you totally controlled Mario's movement.

To truly enjoy this game, you have to at least try to get the colored coins. Just simply running to the end provides no challenge at all..

 

[maflynn]

It's one of the most successful games on App Store, and yet I keep saying so much negativity to it on MacRumors and on the comments.. You apple fans are the worst

It seems the app store reviews have their share of negativity as well.

Just because I enjoy apple products doesn't mean I have to blindly love everything about its platform. I found this game not to my liking, and thusly removed it.

 

[Speedy Dingo]

Make it available off line, so when I have no internet and nothing better to do on my phone, I could possibly try this game. Only then I may consider buying it.

How often do you find yourself with no internet connection on your iPhone? Either cellular or on wifi?