Ten minutes of play sums up Nintendo’s Super Mario debut

NINTENDO’S debut game for smartphones is turning out to be anything but super.

Since its release for Apple devices, Super Mario Run has shot to the top of download charts in more than 100 countries as tens of millions celebrated the iconic video game character’s arrival on iPhones. Yet problems emerged almost immediately, with thousands vigorously complaining that the three levels available with the free download were over too quickly — in less than 10 minutes in most cases — and the US$10 price tag to unlock the rest was too steep.

“A US$10 upfront cost to unlock the game is a huge ask and one that flies in the face of current mobile games being free-to-play,” said Daniel Ahmad, an analyst for researcher Niko Partners.

“The first three levels are not very long and the payment screen doesn’t seem to make it abundantly clear what the user is getting in return for that US$10 purchase.”

Besides the high price, reviewers focused on Nintendo’s decision to require an internet connection, with many complaining they couldn’t play during their commutes. Others said the over-simplified gameplay removed features that are a staple of Super Mario games on consoles, such as fireballs.

“The negative reviews aren’t necessarily because it’s a bad game,” said Eliran Sapir, head of Apptopia.

“It’s a combination of the high price tag and fans not liking the vehicle.”

Sapir said poor word-ofmouth could impact the game’s profitability. While the game has become the highest-grossing game in most countries, it could only reach third place in Japan — the world’s third-largest app market, according to App Annie. That adds to the risk it could fall short of analysts’ expectations. Nomura Holdings has estimated the game will generate 36 billion yen (RM1.38 billion) by the end of March, while Macquarie Securities sees US$200 million in the same period.

The negative buzz could particularly hurt sales to the much larger pool of Android users, who won’t get a version until an undetermined time next year. — WP-Bloomberg