Super Mario Run is on track to collect all the coins...like $70 million of them
Mario is finally making his mobile game debut, and projected revenue numbers show that he could could make more money than a blockbuster movie.
Super Mario Run is coming December 15 to the iPhone (and later to Android) but already, the runup to its release is expected to lead to some serious cash. Nintendo's first smartphone game featuring the mustachioed plumber is projected to make $71 million USD in worldwide gross revenue in the first month alone, according to mobile insight data from Sensor Tower. That converts to about £56 million and AU$95 million.
And that's a lot of coins.
In Super Mario Run, it's all about the coins.
Super Mario Run is merely the beginning of Nintendo's grand entrance into the world of mobile gaming, coming not long after this summer's Pokemon Go craze. Pokemon Go was the top seller in Google's app store in 2016, and rejuvenated popularity for the Pokemon franchise as a whole. Nintendo also plans to turn other popular titles into smartphone games, like Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem.
So how did Sensor Tower arrive at a possible $71 million bank for Nintendo? Well, 20 million people have already signed up to receive push notifications when the game is available on the app store. And many more will download the game based off of word of mouth interest, media coverage and the likelihood of being a featured pick in the app store.
If the game reaches $71 million, that will put it behind Pokemon Go ($143) and Clash Royale ($107 million) for first-month top earners, but far ahead of Candy Crush Soda Saga ($16 million).
Super Mario Run will be free to download, but requires in-app purchases to unlock more than the first four levels. To get the full experience, you'll have to pay $9.99, £7.99 or AU$14.99. Although that may seem cheap compared to a console game, that's pricey for a mobile game.
Whether Super Mario Run rakes in the dough will depend on how good the free version is at convincing players to convert. Check out 13 important things we learned about Super Mario Run on iPhone.