After the massive success of Pokémon Go, Nintendo is getting ready to reveal the first Mario game ever on mobile. It is hoped that it will be one of the biggest apps ever to hit the iPhone, even bigger than Pokémon Go, according to the industry intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
Super Mario Run to be a big hit
Sensor Tower claims that Super Mario Run will get more than 50 million downloads in its first month. This exceeds Pokémon Go — which managed to get 32 million in its first month — by 56%.
A higher download number does not necessarily mean that Super Mario Run will make more money than Pokémon Go. In its first month, Pokémon Go made $143 million, while Clash Royale – a head-to-head strategy battler – made $107 million. Super Mario Run is expected to gross about $71 million in its first month.
The mobile Mario game will be free to download, but players will be required to make a one-time payment of $10 to unlock all of its content. This is a shift from the free-to-play business model that most big iOS and Android hits employ, notes VentureBeat.
In a blog post, Randy Nelson, Sensor Tower’s head of mobile insights, said, “Our Mobile Insights team forecasts that Super Mario Run stands to cap off a historic year for iOS game launches by earning more than $71 million in worldwide gross revenue — $50 million net — during its first month of availability in its launch countries.”
Nintendo is making an attempt to transition to its new home/portable Switch device in March, and mobile games such as Super Mario Run might help it return to strong profitability in the coming months. Super Mario Run will exclusively debut on the iPhone on December 15, while it will be launched on Android sometime next year.
Preorder Pokémon Go Plus at Best Buy
People will struggle to get their hands on the Pokémon Go Plus accessory this holiday season, just like for the NES Classic Edition. There were a few in stock at Amazon on Wednesday, but they were sold out immediately, notes BGR, and when they will be back in stock cannot be said as of now.
Customers who do not care about the source from which they get their Pokémon Go Plus can check out Best Buy. The retailer reopened preorders for the accessory units on its website this week. However, there is a problem; Best Buy doesn’t expect orders to arrive until January 20.
