Support NeoGAF

[DavidDesu]

If they sold it at 1 dollar and half the people who downloaded it buy it, that's 20 million dollars before Apple's fees.

Super Mario Maker sold over 3.5 million worldwide on the WiiU at 60 bucks a copy.

It's also a mobile game with a few levels versus a fully fledged game made for a console, so profitability will be high. And that was just hypothetical. They could sell it for $5 and rake in probably just as many sales. Plus they haven't released on Android yet, and sales will keep tumbling in for years to come.. Super Mario Maker on Wii U has likely sold as many copies as it ever will.


Seriously, the hardcore Nintendo fans absolutely livid at the thought of Nintendo becoming a 3rd party, and the success they'd gain if they did so, seem more and more illogical by the day. I doubt we'll see it happen anytime soon, but Nintendo would make a lot more money, instantaneously, doing that now as opposed to bringing out yet another new console and hoping to god people buy it and make it a success this time round. And no, past success with the Wii does not absolve them of responsibility to make money now.

 

[Sandfox]

it was sold mostly to existing 3DS owners, so basically nothing happened

Pokermon Sun and Moon had the biggest opening in franchise history, was the most preordered Nintendo game ever, the 3DS saw a big jump in sales, and had its strongest software month ever in November so I don't think you can say nothing happened.

Literally none of the suits in my office who were running around playing Pokemon Go went out to buy a DS and play Pokemon. I was incredibly surprised to see said suits playing Pokemon, but they did so because it was free and a huge buzz.

Mario isn't free, it's very expensive and no one is talking about it. Pokemon was all over the news and a hot topic.

Well this is anecdotal lol. The fact that 40 million people have downloaded it in 4 days tells us that the game is drawing attention to the brand.

 

[Somnid]

Should just make it a pay app, no "Here download this it's free, psych not really, pay up!"

That a problem with Apple's Store more than anything. They don't want 2 apps, what they want is things being correctly labeled "free to start."

 

[Retrobox]

It’s perhaps necessary to have a little more time being having a sufficient understanding of the profits earned by the game as I feel that the numbers of people who decide to purchase the title will gradually increase:

Mamma Mia? Really now

 

[marmoka]

Amazing!

 

[Pancakes R Us]

TRANSLATION:

This translation is awesome. Northern Kingdom!

 

[KingSnake]

And other analysis firms had different numbers. Why is this one any different?

What analysis firm had the 2.1 million. Do you have a link?

And I don't understand the question about being different.

 

[Alpha_eX]

Pokermon Sun and Moon had the biggest opening in franchise history, was the most preordered Nintendo game ever, the 3DS saw a big jump in sales, and had its strongest software month ever in November so I don't think you can say nothing happened.


Well this is anecdotal lol. The fact that 40 million people have downloaded it in 4 days tells us that the game is drawing attention to the brand.

A month after release, Pokemon Go was all over the news, hordes of people were playing in public and tons of unofficial books were released. A week after release and it's not visible that many people are still playing Mario.

There's a huge difference, and you can't ignore that one game was free and the other has a really high paywall for a mobile game that is putting fans and potential fans off.

 

[Calm Mind]

maybe nintendo will realize finally
their ips are very appealing, their hardware and platform, not at all
people don't buy nintendo hardware, because they want to or like it. just because they forced to and can't get the games anywhere else. that is not the best approach imho


i would buy mario cart instantly on ps4 or xbox one. but i would never buy a nintendo console especially not for a higher price
not sure how long that business model will work for nintendo

Can we not?

Why must every Nintendo related thread on NeoGAF turn into a not so subtle portbeg?

On topic, congrats on the 40M Nintendo! This has exceeded even my lofty estimates. I might have to adjust them to 100M by January.

 

[Sjefen]

I am one of those 40 million, but deleted it when the paywall showed itself....

 

[GYNGA]

More than twice as many people downloaded Super Mario Run in four days as bought the Wii U in four years.

Spoiler

Might be more people than will buy Switch too

I think we need a pie chart of this

 

[Sandfox]

A month after release, Pokemon Go was all over the news, hordes of people were playing in public and tons of unofficial books were released. A week after release and it's not visible that many people are still playing Mario.

There's a huge difference, and you can't ignore that one game was free and the other has a really high paywall for a mobile game that is putting fans and potential fans off.

The only data we have is what's in this thread and according to it Mario Run is getting downloaded faster. Also, whether or not people keep playing it doesn't really change the brand awareness aspect.

 

[RowdyReverb]

Even if only 1% bought the game, that's a cool $4 million

 

[Joelstinton14]

A month after release, Pokemon Go was all over the news, hordes of people were playing in public and tons of unofficial books were released. A week after release and it's not visible that many people are still playing Mario.

There's a huge difference, and you can't ignore that one game was free and the other has a really high paywall for a mobile game that is putting fans and potential fans off.

I think you are projecting a little bit here. Pokemon Go was unique in that it had people going outside to play the game - it was a odd sight to see. It stood out. Even now it feels strange to see people play Pokemon GO.

Mario is a title you play when you have 5 minutes to yourself. You rarely see people play Candy Crush or Minecraft, but we know that people play them. I don't why people are always trying to downplay Nintendo success. Not only are free downloads much higher than other titles, but there are reports (inconsistency in numbers, but similarities in percentage) of much higher purchase rates than other titles too.

 

[BGBW]

So that means Nintendo's stocks are going down right?

Yep. Investor predicted at least 600billion downloads in the first 24 hours.

 

[daebo]

Why does every body keep talking about brand awareness? I'm pretty sure everybody knows who Mario is.

Additionally, if you're going to release and brag about free downloads, at least put up revenue. Why hide it unless you don't want to confirm the analysts position.

 

[Alpha_eX]

I think you are projecting a little bit here. Pokemon Go was unique in that it had people going outside to play the game - it was a odd sight to see. It stood out. Even now it feels strange to see people play Pokemon GO.

Mario is a title you play when you have 5 minutes to yourself. You rarely see people play Candy Crush or Minecraft, but we know that people play them. I don't why people are always trying to downplay Nintendo success. Not only are free downloads much higher than other titles, but there are reports (inconsistency in numbers, but similarities in percentage) of much purchase rates than other titles too.

Fair comment and good post, it was unique in the fact it was an AR game combined with a popular IP, I'm sure that raised more interest than what most would see as another runner.

Mario is a title you should be able to play in the same scenario as Candy Crush, which is actually quite popular still on the commute from my observations. Candy Crush is played by people who don't typically game, mostly because they don't have to invest and can play it when they have those 5 minutes, on commute.

My point here is that Mario misses both marks of what makes a mobile game appealing to non-gamers with mobile devices, a market Nintendo has yet to crack. They got a large amount of home non-gamers with the Wii, but just fail to do it this time around with Mario because of the pay wall and online lock-in.

There is a large user base for Nintendo to gain here, but regardless of numbers, I don't think they're gaining a new audience with this approach, just getting a shit-ton of downloads.

Either way, huge congrats to Nintendo on all the people downloading the game, it's outstanding.

 

[AjNimajwalHansel]

Why does every body keep talking about brand awareness? I'm pretty sure everybody knows who Mario is.

Additionally, if you're going to release and brag about free downloads, at least put up revenue. Why hide it unless you don't want to confirm the analysts position.

Everyone knows what Pokemon is, but Pokemon Go had a significant and visible effect on sales of Pokemon games. Not saying the exact same thing will happen to Mario, but brand awareness isn't about notifying someone about something for the first time necessarily.

 

[DigitalRicket]

Sales will definitely go up over the next week when kids ask their parents to unlock the full game for Christmas

 

[Cave Johnson]

Can't imagine if the Android version kicks in. Come on Nintendo. You can do it!!

 

[Carl]

Even if only 1% bought the game, that's a cool $4 million

Oh wait ignore meet lol

 

[Laughing Banana]

Some of you people inventing some sort of stupid arbitrary reasons to downplay this success is just really hilarious, it's like hearing the term 'Nintendo success' is hazardous to your health or something, lol.

 

[marc^o^]

if you're going to release and brag about free downloads, at least put up revenue. Why hide it unless you don't want to confirm the analysts position.

Miyamoto: "It’s perhaps necessary to have a little more time being having a sufficient understanding of the profits earned by the game as I feel that the numbers of people who decide to purchase the title will gradually increase."

So they are expecting the conversion rate to slowly grow. Christmas is coming. Some people donwloaded the game and had no time to play it further than the 3 levels. Why would they give a preliminary revenue number, knowing its temporary inexactitude would be looked at as definitive? That'd make no sense. So they didn't do it, and meanwhile, they can enjoy the record breaking headlines.

 

[wonderful103]

It's also a mobile game with a few levels versus a fully fledged game made for a console, so profitability will be high. And that was just hypothetical. They could sell it for $5 and rake in probably just as many sales. Plus they haven't released on Android yet, and sales will keep tumbling in for years to come.. Super Mario Maker on Wii U has likely sold as many copies as it ever will.


Seriously, the hardcore Nintendo fans absolutely livid at the thought of Nintendo becoming a 3rd party, and the success they'd gain if they did so, seem more and more illogical by the day. I doubt we'll see it happen anytime soon, but Nintendo would make a lot more money, instantaneously, doing that now as opposed to bringing out yet another new console and hoping to god people buy it and make it a success this time round. And no, past success with the Wii does not absolve them of responsibility to make money now.

a third party Nintendo is a mobile only Nintendo. The other consoles do not cater to the same audience before you Take into account the fact that budgets would go up, they'd have to sell 40 percent more software to make the same money as being a first party (won't happen w/the audiences on other consoles) and they'd lose more than half their revenue, which is hardware. We need to stop with the intellectual dishonesty on this topic.

Investors would demand a move to focus entirely on mobile and maybe some pachinko machines. Think Konami but worse. People here apparently want this.

 

[Kikorin]

Incredibile, and with time I think a lot of poeple will buy the game. Looking at the first number the conversion rate was one of the highest on mobile, so this is already a success for Nintendo. Glad they didn't done it FTP, can't wait to buy it on Android.

 

[hanspampel]

And other analysis firms had different numbers. Why is this one any different?



Considering they've had less years of operating loss than Sony and Microsoft's games divisions, it seems to be doing well.

Hell, their operating loss was because they sold the 3DS at a loss and it took off

i talking more of a future proof business and potential to grow instead of stagnation or even decline
just because you don't loose money doesn't mean you have a healthy business.


and you really can't compare the initial losses to build a brand and get into a business for Microsoft with losses Nintendo made in their mature core business.

Can we not?

Why must every Nintendo related thread on NeoGAF turn into a not so subtle portbeg?

On topic, congrats on the 40M Nintendo! This has exceeded even my lofty estimates. I might have to adjust them to 100M by January.

what the hell is a portbeg and who do read that in my post?
i just explained how a big part of the market sees Nintendos IPs, hardware and platforms

or how do you explain those huge mobile numbers and the declining handheld market?

 

[JoeM86]

i talking more of a future proof business and potential to grow instead of stagnation or even decline
just because you don't loose money doesn't mean you have a healthy business.


and you really can't compare the initial losses to build a brand and get into a business for Microsoft with losses Nintendo made in their mature core business.

But you're just comparing a couple of bad years and acting like that's only where Nintendo can be. It's illogical

 

[Aroll]

But you're just comparing a couple of bad years and acting like that's only where Nintendo can be. It's illogical

Exactly. If Nintendo was in such a bad place would they be teaming up for theme parks? Those create constant, consistent, revenue - but you don't see everyone doing them and many who have tried did that on their own and failed, versus becoming an attraction area attached to an already existing and popular park.

My bigger point there is that a couple of bad years doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme. Not just because of past success (people tot Wii - forget Nintendo was profitable in the video game business alone for almost 30 straight years). But because Nintendo recognized that their brand names were being overshadowed by Disney. By games like overwatch. Outside of GameStop you had very little exposure to Nintendo characters unless you sought it out.

Nintendo is doing a sweeping change on that front. Phones are part of that. They want brand awareness. Yes, "everyone knows who Mario is" - everyone also knows who Mickey Mouse is. But if they stopped making and airing Mickey Mouse cartoons to kids. Stopped putting him on diapers and wipes. Stopped using him in all their big public advertisements, his relevancy to the brand Can fade, as new generations are raised unaware of his importance. That's what Mario has been like for awhile. Yeah us here know while he is - but most kids at my elementary school I work at had no clue. Until Super Mario Run landed, that is.

Don't underestimate the importance of brand awareness. Nintendo finally understands it's importance.

 

[CaviarMeths]

Another "Nintendo does incredibly successfully thing," thread, another mountain of "guys, it's not actually that impressive" and "please oh plz omg Nintendo put games on PS4" replies.

 

[Inferno313]

That a problem with Apple's Store more than anything. They don't want 2 apps, what they want is things being correctly labeled "free to start."

Can't find it, but I saw a mock-up on Twitter that looked like a great solution for this.

Where the "Get" button is now, should be replaced with two buttons. A "$9.99" button to instantly purchase the app, and then next to that, a "try it" button.

 

[Slurpy2k20]

Absolutely insane. Where are all the "lol, this game was a massive failure" people now? Nintendo never earns a shred of respect. And, this STILL hasn't impressed shareholders and Nintendo stock is still being hammered. Fuck you Nintendo, for making a game that doesn't ask me for $$ every 5 seconds.

 

[Bulbasaur]

40 million!

Even if nobody paid $10 it's still amazing marketing.

 

[Slurpy2k20]

Some beautiful quotes from this forum. I'm assuming these people still will never give Nintendo credit.

Nintendo really feel like they don't belong to the mobile market, first was the weird Miitomo and now the disappointing Mario Run.
Mobile was a mistake and it's time to refocus on their console strategy.

40M in 4 days. What a fucking mistake.

like i thought, 10 bucks is too much for a mobile game. as much as it sickens me to say, they should have gone f2p with microtransactions or a lower price like 5$

Japan, poor reviews, and still doing worse than Pokémon. Like we've all been saying since the first hour of launch.

What a disaster. This game, an utter failure, like this guy has been saying "since launch". Amazing fucking crystal ball. Why did people fantasize so hard about this failing, and were genuinely cheering for that scenario?

 

[Lexxism]

Some of you people inventing some sort of stupid arbitrary reasons to downplay this success is just really hilarious, it's like hearing the term 'Nintendo success' is hazardous to your health or something, lol.

That's probably because they won't be able to play the games on their preferred system. If Nintendo bounce back with Switch, the chance is getting less and less.

 

[asagami_]

Exactly. If Nintendo was in such a bad place would they be teaming up for theme parks? Those create constant, consistent, revenue - but you don't see everyone doing them and many who have tried did that on their own and failed, versus becoming an attraction area attached to an already existing and popular park.

My bigger point there is that a couple of bad years doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme. Not just because of past success (people tot Wii - forget Nintendo was profitable in the video game business alone for almost 30 straight years). But because Nintendo recognized that their brand names were being overshadowed by Disney. By games like overwatch. Outside of GameStop you had very little exposure to Nintendo characters unless you sought it out.

Nintendo is doing a sweeping change on that front. Phones are part of that. They want brand awareness. Yes, "everyone knows who Mario is" - everyone also knows who Mickey Mouse is. But if they stopped making and airing Mickey Mouse cartoons to kids. Stopped putting him on diapers and wipes. Stopped using him in all their big public advertisements, his relevancy to the brand Can fade, as new generations are raised unaware of his importance. That's what Mario has been like for awhile. Yeah us here know while he is - but most kids at my elementary school I work at had no clue. Until Super Mario Run landed, that is.

Don't underestimate the importance of brand awareness. Nintendo finally understands it's importance.

This strategy may have started at the Olympic games. After that, I started to see brands promoting Mario and Nintendo. Hell, recently I bought a lunch box with Browser image because I saw it and liked it xD

I live in Mexico by the way. The brand awareness is huge and sure everything is to help to the future Switch.

 

[Jack The Nipper]

This game could use a mario run maker imo

imagine all the extras they could sell in a f2p mode plush a buy all parts options at 20 or something.

 

[Slurpy2k20]

Can't imagine if the Android version kicks in. Come on Nintendo. You can do it!!

Android users are notorious for not spending even a fraction of iOS users on apps. The stats are out there.

 

[Wollan]

crazy

It's a fun and polished game.
Going mobile was always a major trump card for Nintendo. Smart of them to jump in now and not later.

 

[Milly Osworth]

I am one of those 40 million, but deleted it when the paywall showed itself....

Congrats on not wanting to pay for products or services.

 

[stilgar]

It's a nice game. i would've loved some real bonus levels, but it's very polished.

 

[Downhome]

How much did it cost them to put this game together. Is that known? It surely didn't cost much at all.

 

[Seik]

Some of you people inventing some sort of stupid arbitrary reasons to downplay this success is just really hilarious, it's like hearing the term 'Nintendo success' is hazardous to your health or something, lol.

Yeah, that's weird, I mean, that's cool for them, no matter how much you can spin that news.

I don't understand why people want them to fail. 3rd party I guess, but going mobile is a sign of opening never seen before from Nintendo, I'd encourage that instead of downplaying it.

 

[Ninja Dom]

What analysis firm had the 2.1 million. Do you have a link?

And I don't understand the question about being different.

Sensor Tower (never heard of them before today)

Despite concerns about the game’s pricing, our 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.

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

R.I.P. Nintendo, you had a good run.

 

[Galang]

Even half of that would be crazy numbers. I don't care if it's Mario - it's still insane

 

[Ninja Dom]

I'm wondering, has any product or item ever (that has been available to download) been downloaded as many times as that in history?? Music, games, software, operating systems?

 

[QaaQer]

Yeah, that's weird, I mean, that's cool for them, no matter how much you can spin that news.

I don't understand why people want them to fail. 3rd party I guess, but going mobile is a sign of opening never seen before from Nintendo, I'd encourage that instead of downplaying it.

It isn'[t that complicated.

We have first party talent inside NIntendo being moved to mobile development, massive success will hasten that. Then you have to wonder how long before some franchises transition. For example, the next Animal Crossing game could be f2p mobile with micro-transactions as that would make so much more money than a console version. For some, that would be really sad news. Do you understand now?

It might never happen of course, but NInty is a business and it would be bad business not to allocate your talent and resources into the most profitable areas.

 

[BRocknRolla]

Should just make it a pay app, no "Here download this it's free, psych not really, pay up!"

Are you suggesting that there should be no more demos? Because that's what the initial download is.

 

[thestopsign]

I'm wondering, has any product or item ever (that has been available to download) been downloaded as many times as that in history?? Music, games, software, operating systems?

Uh.... I mean I'm sure Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat have been downloaded over a billion times.

 

[Mihos]

Are you suggesting that there should be no more demos? Because that's what the initial download is.

Well, honestly, title should read "40 million people downloaded the demo" by that standard.