Stick to Your Guns Nintendo
Any way you slice the numbers, Super Mario Run has been a spectacular success, smashing Apple App Store records for downloads in an amazingly short amount of time. Even looking at the paid upgrades is amazing with Nintendo bringing in over $20 million dollars in revenue in about four days.
And despite the objective financial data. The press seems fixated on the slew of negative reviews on the App Store. What? That’s like criticizing the home run king for all the strikeouts he had and ignoring the fact that he just smashed the league record.
I was sifting through some of the reviews for Super Mario Run and maybe 8 or 9 out of 10 were gripes that the game was so expensive. But the thing is, they want to play the game. They just don’t want to pay for it. The opposite of love is indifference, not anger. If this was truly a 1-star game, there wouldn’t be so many angry reviews so quickly.
After complaints about the price, complaints about the game being too short came in a distant second. I’m a little puzzled at this gripe. I’m not a gamer. But as a dad with seven kids, I’ve spent a lot of time shopping for Nintendo video games as gifts. I can’t think of a single Nintendo game that I ever paid less than $50 for. I think the average was closer to $60. Are the angry masses expecting the same amount of gameplay for $10? Are these non-gamers unaware of what it normally costs to get a good game?
I actually think the volume and intensity of the reviews regarding Super Mario Run are a net positive. They show a clear desire on the part of the public to play more than the first three levels of the game. They are angry because a) they want to play the game and can’t and b) those that have it want more of the game. What marketing department wouldn’t want this scenario?
So why is Nintendo’s stock price dropping despite the success of Super Mario Run? Well, Nintendo is a troubled company that is facing much larger challenges than App Store penetration. I’m glad that going up against Sony’s PS4 juggernaut and Microsoft’s Xbox isn’t on my to-do list. If Nintendo’s stock price is dropping I don’t think it’s due to Super Mario Run, the one ray of light that just broke through the clouds.
There are few video game franchises as bankable as Super Mario. But on the other hand, the average cost of software in the App Store has descended down to free or cheap. Watching Nintendo bring Super Mario to Apple’s App Store is like watching the NFL’s best offensive team go up against the best defensive team. Everyone gets excited because nobody is quite sure what is going to happen when these two seemingly unstoppable forces collide.
Kudos to Nintendo for refusing to devalue their software. I hope they stick to their guns and continue to rake in millions of dollars. If anyone can break through the App Store $0.99 average, it’s Nintendo. Are they going to continue getting bashed for not giving away their software for next to nothing? Probably. But that’s business.
I was sifting through some of the reviews for Super Mario Run and maybe 8 or 9 out of 10 were gripes that the game was so expensive. But the thing is, they want to play the game. They just don’t want to pay for it. The opposite of love is indifference, not anger. If this was truly a 1-star game, there wouldn’t be so many angry reviews so quickly.
After complaints about the price, complaints about the game being too short came in a distant second. I’m a little puzzled at this gripe. I’m not a gamer. But as a dad with seven kids, I’ve spent a lot of time shopping for Nintendo video games as gifts. I can’t think of a single Nintendo game that I ever paid less than $50 for. I think the average was closer to $60. Are the angry masses expecting the same amount of gameplay for $10? Are these non-gamers unaware of what it normally costs to get a good game?
I actually think the volume and intensity of the reviews regarding Super Mario Run are a net positive. They show a clear desire on the part of the public to play more than the first three levels of the game. They are angry because a) they want to play the game and can’t and b) those that have it want more of the game. What marketing department wouldn’t want this scenario?
So why is Nintendo’s stock price dropping despite the success of Super Mario Run? Well, Nintendo is a troubled company that is facing much larger challenges than App Store penetration. I’m glad that going up against Sony’s PS4 juggernaut and Microsoft’s Xbox isn’t on my to-do list. If Nintendo’s stock price is dropping I don’t think it’s due to Super Mario Run, the one ray of light that just broke through the clouds.
There are few video game franchises as bankable as Super Mario. But on the other hand, the average cost of software in the App Store has descended down to free or cheap. Watching Nintendo bring Super Mario to Apple’s App Store is like watching the NFL’s best offensive team go up against the best defensive team. Everyone gets excited because nobody is quite sure what is going to happen when these two seemingly unstoppable forces collide.
Kudos to Nintendo for refusing to devalue their software. I hope they stick to their guns and continue to rake in millions of dollars. If anyone can break through the App Store $0.99 average, it’s Nintendo. Are they going to continue getting bashed for not giving away their software for next to nothing? Probably. But that’s business.
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