Super Mario Run Didn’t Meet Nintendo Expectations

Since launching the Super Mario Run game last year on iOS, we haven’t really heard much on how the game was performing with respect to sales until now. Nintendo now says the game didn’t meet their expectations. In an interview with Asian publication Nikkei, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said the game had contributed to Nintendo’s profit less than expected.

This contradicts the fanfare around last year’s announcements of mobile version of the game on iOS and soon Android. The “father” of Mario, Shigeru Minamoto was optimistic about the idea of bringing their flagship game to two of the world’s most popular mobile platforms;

We want as many people with smartphones around the world to enjoy playing as Mario, and we’re doing it first on iOS. And we’re doing it in a brand new game called Super Mario Run. The magic of Mario is that anyone can pick up a game and instantly start playing. This time, we’ve made it even simpler to begin…Being able to play one-handed means you can do so while holding onto a handle on the subway, while eating a hamburger, or while eating an Apple!

Super Mario Run allows players try out the first world before paying the $9.99 for the full experience. Once announced, millions of users around the world downloaded the game but the report says only 5 percent of those users actually paid as at January but considering that the game officially came to the iOS platform in December, one might be tempted to say give it some time but the guys at Nintendo apparently wanted more.

But maybe the much expected Android release would eventually turn the page for Nintendo.