Super Mario Run registrations finally open up on Android, but we wonder how many will actually buy it

First released on iOS a couple of weeks ago, Nintendo’s iconic plumber should be making its way to Android soon enough. Registrations are finally open for Nintendo’s Super Mario Run on Android. Super Mario Run (SMR) is Nintendo’s first, official game on mobile ( Pokémon Go is just licensed Nintendo IP ) and it’s not done as well as Nintendo expected. SMR is an automatic runner, wherein Mario runs by himself. You control Mario with a tap, where you either tap to make him jump or press and hold for a longer jump. That’s it. Everything else, including jumping over enemies, Mario does automatically. He also doesn’t stop moving.

While the game is a polished title, turning people off is the ridiculous asking price of $9.99 (or Rs 620 on the App Store in India). At that price, SMR is more expensive than even most premium games on the App Store and it’s hardly surprising that Nintendo is seeing such low sales. The game is also nothing special and offers little more than the Mario and Nintendo brand name as compensation for that fee. (Also read:  Super Mario Run is the dumbest thing that Nintendo has slapped its name on ) The game’s ratings have also tanked on the App Store for the same reason (it currently stands at 2.5 stars).  ‘Low sales’ is a relative thing of course. SMR is projected to earn close to $30 million by the end of this month. However, Nintendo expected to earn 5-10 times that amount. Investors are also wary of Nintendo’s ability to cash in on mobile games and last we checked, Nintendo’s stock has fallen by over 18 percent since the game’s launch. Nintendo expects Mario to be downloaded on a billion devices (500 million each on Android and iPhone). A rather optimistic figure, we think. Given that the game is free to download (3 levels are playable for free), the number of people who will actually pay for the game are what matter.