'Super Mario Run' (Photo : Facebook)
Nintendo has given "Super Mario Run" a $10 price tag, which might seem high when juxtaposed with other free-to-play titles. It is over twice the average price of $4 for the top 1,500 paid iOS games worldwide for Q3 2016. The smartphone game, meanwhile, is not expensive since the Japanese gaming giant has a history of high pricing based on high perceived value.
Mobile analytics group Sensor Tower provided the mobile game data. Even the sandbox game "Minecraft: Pocket Edition" that often appears on Apple App Store's Top Paid chart is $6.
Nintendo's top franchise character Mario first appeared in the arcade game "Donkey Kong" in 1981. The hero was originally named Jumpman.
Sensor Tower co-founder Oliver Yeh was not surprised by the price point of the newest Mario game. It is in line with past pricing trends.
SuperData Research co-founder Joost van Dreunen pointed out that Nintendo was shifting to mobile games. The market research agency's analyst noted that the company is against the idea of fully-free games and likes to use terms such as "free-to-try," according to Polygon
"Super Mario Run" is Nintendo's second mobile game after social app "Miitomo" launched in March 2016. This past summer Niantic's augmented reality (AR) game "Pokémon Go" became the most downloaded app in App Store history. It is based on the 1996 Game Boy titles "Pocket Monsters: Red and Green"
Van Dreunen believes "Super Mario Run" will be a big hit because of its brand, graphics, and add-ons like Toad Rally. He pointed out, meanwhile, that Nintendo is using a different marketing strategy than for "Pokémon GO."
Nintendo's video game director Shigeru Miyamoto shared in an interview with Mashable that the company did not want the Mario mobile game to rely on in-app purchases. A set price would make the game family-friendly.
Yeh noted that other software developers have given their first mobile games high price points. Square Enix's "Final Fantasy 5" cost $16 at launch in 2013. Its recent mobile-first games have been priced lower including the $5 puzzle game "Hitman GO" released in 2014.
"Super Mario Run" will launch to iOS on December 15 and an Android version is being developed.
In related news, "Pokémon Sun and Moon" has been downloaded over 3.5 million times and become the most successful demo on the 3DS console, according to iTech Post. It is unclear, however, if it will be rolled out to the Nintendo Switch console set to launch in March 2017.
Here' a video of 'Super Mario Run' gameplay:
