Mike Wuerthele
Reports claiming a low number of $9.99 "Super Mario Run" upgrade purchases are said to be inaccurate, based on supposed "wrong assumptions" made by an app analytics firm, AppleInsider has learned.
Analytics firm NewZoo made headlines on Tuesday for an estimate suggesting "Super Mario Run" has generated about $30 million in gross revenue, equating to around 3 million purchasers. NewZoo has also tallied 90 million downloads for "Super Mario Run."
According to The Wall Street Journal, while downloads are high for Nintendo's "Super Mario Run," the amount of players opting to buy the $9.99 unlock for the title are supposedly low — estimated at 3 percent of the user base by NewZoo.
However, AppleInsider reached out to Apple for comment on the matter, and was told by sources within the company that attach rates are "more than 3 percent" and "some wrong assumptions have been made by [NewZoo]."
Apple declined to provide more data on the situation.
"Super Mario Run" still retains the top spot on the free app chart on the iOS App Store. However, after a brief period at the top of both the top grossing app index on store, the game has since fallen to 14th place. "Pokemon Go" continues to lead the top grossing charts after six months of release.
"Pokemon Go" has a different model than "Super Mario Run" for income, relying on in-game consumables, rather than a one-time purchase like "Super Mario Run."
"Super Mario Run" is free to download from the App Store, though unlocking the full game requires a $9.99 purchase. The title is a 204-megabyte download, which grows to 345 MB after the first data download — and there are a few as the game goes on.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
11 Comments
Unlike some others reporting the news you actually did some independent checking rather than accept it at face value. Nice job!
Man do I wish Apple would acquire this company.
I think it's sad how low of a rating the game has because Nintendo allowed people to play it for free.
Some people suggest Nintendo should have priced it at $9.99 from the jump with no demo.
I bought it. Totally worth it. Don't see the problem with paying a few bucks for a great game. People got spoiled with free apps and thinking they're entitled to everything for nothing.
The Verge's interpretation on Apple's comment.
"Without any real numbers, 'more than 3 percent' probably simply means 3.01%"
I was all set to hand over the $10 until I found it there's no horizontal iPad support. If they add, I will buy it.