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Super Mario Run is the fastest-selling iOS game ever

Nintendo's first smartphone game was downloaded 40 million times in its first four days -- but analysts say only 8 percent of people who downloaded it ended up purchasing the whole game.

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Ry Crist Senior Editor / Reviews - Labs
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
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Mario ran right to the top of the download charts this week, with Nintendo's first-ever smartphone game, Super Mario Run, hitting 40 million downloads in its first four days. That makes it the fastest-selling iOS game in the history of the App Store.

Still, things aren't completely peachy in the Mushroom Kingdom. Despite the rush of downloads, Nintendo's stock tumbled slightly amidst mixed reviews for the game, which lets users navigate Mario through a variety of familiar-looking levels, grabbing as many coins and power-ups as possible along the way.

App analyst Sensor Tower says that the game netted as much as $21 million in its first four days, but pointed out that Nintendo's stock simultaneously hit a one-month low. Sensor Tower analyst Spencer Gabriel points out that only about eight percent of users who download Super Mario Run and play its first three levels go on to spend the requisite $10 to unlock the rest of the game.

"I don't think this is a statement on the game's quality," Gabriel says, "but rather the perceived value when compared to free-to-play games that offer much more content with optional microtransactions."

Currently available on iOS devices only, Super Mario Run will arrive on Android in 2017.