'Super Mario Run' Android Release Date: Price Drop May Come To Lure Frugal Fans

'Super Mario Run' is available now on iOS devices.
'Super Mario Run' is available now on iOS devices. Nintendo

It’s been one week since the Super Mario Run launch and there have been countless ups and downs for everyone involved. Consumer gripes about the premium price for the nostalgia-inducing game quickly lead to a drop in Nintendo stock. Analysts projected Super Mario Run would not live up to the hype and build up enough momentum for a successful Android launch in 2017.

However, new reports from Nintendo indicate the game has been downloaded over 40 million times, exceeding the company’s first-month download prediction by 10 million in just four days. Super Mario Run may still have a decent chance at longevity while Nintendo continues to experiment with its new mobile gaming strategy.

The Japanese gaming conglomerate has not yet revealed a specific release date for Super Mario Run for Android. However, there is a good chance those using operating system may not pay as much for the game as iOS users, according to Joost van Dreunen, CEO of SuperData Research.

“Everything Nintendo is doing right now resembles a traditional wide release strategy,” Joost told iDigitalTimes. “They launch the game and make a lot of buzz around it and charge a premium price. Then over time they lower that price, just like they would do with games for the Wii.”

The $9.99 price for Super Mario Run , which is prompted three levels into the free-to-download game, has been a pain point for some users. While download figures may be high, that may not translate well into actual sales for the game. An initial $60 million first-month revenue prediction from SuperData Research quickly dropped to between $12 to 15 million, according to Joost. This weakened Wall Street’s confidence in Nintendo’s mobile gaming expansion.

However, there may be method to Nintendo’s madness. The gaming company has catered first to iOS users, who are on average willing to spend more money for app purchases. Playing to the nostalgia of Super Mario fans, many iOS users likely did not think twice before purchasing the game.

“People are experienced enough and smart enough to know that what they’re getting is the first experience. They get to brag. That’s worth something to people,” Joost told iDigi. “That’s the first wave. Then you lower the price and get everybody else.”

Moving forward Nintendo will have to adjust its strategy to attract future users. This is evident in the fact that Super Mario Run has already received new items and a new gaming mode, despite Nintendo stating the endless runner won’t get routine traditional updates. Joost expects the company will experiment with other ways to bring fresh content to the game to keep users playing.

However, the full potential of Super Mario Run won’t be realized until the game launches on the Android operating system. Nintendo will be able to play on Super Mario popularity in many Asian markets, such as Japan, where for every iOS user playing and making purchases in Pokémon Go there were two Android users, Joost noted. The sheer fact that there are more Android users than iOS users globally gives Nintendo a great potential to boost sales, particularly if it drops the game’s buy-in price.

“There’s just no reason to hold on to that ten bucks. If they can lower it to six and get another 10 million purchases they just made $60 million,” Joost added.

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