Some additional insight out of today’s Nintendo earnings. The gaming giant offered some key contextual information about Mario’s recent mobile debut. The title has racked up more than 78 million downloads globally, according to the company, pulling in a respectable $53 million or so since it hit iOS in December.
The company puts Super Mario Run’s conversation rate at “more than 5-percent.” The number is actually considered high given the relatively steep $10 price point in the US — many games a fraction of the price don’t hit that number After all, when pricing was first announced for the title, it sent an internet accustomed to paying less than $5 for a mobile game into a bit of a collective freak out.
Even so, The Wall Street Journal reports that Nintendo isn’t satisfied with the paid rate, with Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima noting that the company had anticipated double-digit numbers on that front. And it’s probably no surprise that the company was expecting big numbers, given the success of Niantic’s Pokemon Go and the cache of Nintendo’s most beloved bit of IP.
Of course, it’s worth noting that Nintendo’s mobile strategy has never just been about downloads. When the company finally bit the bullet and decided to move to mobile after years of foot dragging, its strategy was as much about spreading its intellectual property to new users, a gamble that’s paid off with Pokemon Go, a major contributing factor to the explosive sales of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon for the 3DS.
So, if all goes well, the mobile Mario may help Nintendo get some Switches out the door, as well.