Super Mario Run Bombs, Nintendo Shares Fall

Super Mario Run for the iOS was supposed to be Nintendo’s definitive entry into the mobile segment, which the Pokemon Go gaming app has managed to shake to the core. However, thanks to its pay-to-play system, the Italian plumber’s debut is marred with criticism and is currently bombing. Due to the lackluster performance of its mobile entry, Nintendo’s shares have fallen as well.

Thanks to the bombastic nature of the P2P system of Super Mario Run, it has received a ton of criticisms from both reviewers and fans of the franchise. As a result, investors are running for the hills and are selling their shares in the process, The Wall Street Journal reports.

By Monday, the stocks of the Japanese video game company fell by 7.1 percent, which only adds to the depressing week-long loss accumulating to 16 percent. In the month before that, Nintendo actually enjoyed a rise of 20 percent, but this was before the launch of the Super Mario mobile game.

The game was launched for devices equipped with Apple’s iOS software and it was actually free to play to some extent. Those who want to unlock all of the features, which happens to include the game’s ending, however, would need to pay $9.99.

Charging users to play games is not an unusual practice in the mobile landscape, but Nintendo’s mistake was stepping on a landmine that is often considered a highly dangerous move for mobile developers. The company basically tricked players into playing the game instead of outright telling them about the costs.

As anyone who has ever spent any time reading up on app reviews, this is a huge no-no. Thus, the game’s disappointing sales really isn’t all the surprising.

Some are defending the game, saying that players should focus on the quality of Super Mario Run instead of the obscured part about the payment, such as the publication TechSpot. However, when it comes to catering to users and investors, it would seem that the results matter more than anything else.