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Three months after its iOS debut, Nintendo’s Super Mario Run will make its debut on Android this Thursday (March 23rd).
On the same day the iOS release will be updated to version 2.0.0, introducing a new playable character. Plus, free players will have the chance to unlock an additional level if they complete one of the Bowser challenges. This will add a fourth level to the three currently included in the free download.
It’s not known how much it will cost to unlock the full game on Android. On iOS, the game is free to download but players will have to pay 9.99 (thanks to recent price increases) to access the bulk of the content.
Super Mario Run topped the free download charts in 68 countries following its release on December 15th. However, the Top Grossing chart was always a different story, with the UK being one of the 14 countries where the game briefly topped the revenue rankings.
In fact, the game’s commercial performance led to a drop in Nintendo’s share price.
"The main concern for investors right now is whether consumers are willing to part with $10 to unlock the full game," Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad told MCV at the time.
"The upfront cost is something rarely seen in mobile games today that are targeting a large player base, as Nintendo clearly is through the promotions on the app store and use of their most popular mascot. The spending cap is certainly being seen as an obstacle stopping Nintendo from generating revenues as high as Pokmon Go back in July.”
Nonetheless, the downloads number quickly grew after release. 40m downloads were apparently racked up in the first four days, with 50m being reached in six. From there the picture is less clear, with 90m downloads reported in January (at which time just 3m had been converted into paying sales), but then 78m was cited as the actual total later that month.
