Super Mario Run, Nintendo’s first real foray into the world of mobile gaming, launched in the App Store to over 150 countries last week. Needless to say, the game was highly anticipated with over 20 million pre-registrations. Now that the game is officially out, some of the game’s release data has now become available.
Super Mario Run was downloaded over 10 million times worldwide on December 15, according to data released by App Annie. That’s 10 times the amount Pokémon Go managed in its first day.
This is certainly an impressive figure for Mario and Nintendo‘s mobile game debut, though it also isn’t an especially fair comparison. Super Mario Run is available in 151 countries, whereas Pokémon GO launched in only three countries, albeit on iOS and Android (Super Mario Run is iOS-only for now).
Super Mario Run was also the subject of an extensive marketing campaign. It was unveiled during a high-profile Apple event this summer and enjoyed advertising on the App Store. The game even made an appearance on The Tonight Show. Pokemon Go had none of these advantages, showing up in July with little warning.
Additionally, Pokémon GO follows a “freemium” model, allowing users to play for free but offering in-game purchases. Super Mario Run, on the other hand, offers a single $13.99 CAD in-app purchase to unlock the full game. “As a result, payments precede extended gameplay and, therefore, revenue is more likely to be concentrated early on in the game’s lifecycle,” reads the report from App Annie.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how to game performs down the line. Anyone enjoying the game so far?
