Super Mario Run Is the Fastest Mobile Game to 25 Million Downloads

Super Mario Run is already half way to our projected first month download and revenue totals, according to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data. The game surpassed 25 million worldwide downloads in its four-day opening weekend of December 15 to December 18, while earning more than $21 million in global gross revenue during this same period. Nintendo's title reached the 25 million installs milestone faster than any previous mobile game, a feat that we've visualized in the following chart.

Seven Days Faster—On Only One Platform

To provide some context to just how impressive this milestone is, Pokémon GO, which previously held the record for fastest mobile game to 25 million downloads, took 11 days from its July 6, 2016 launch to reach that point—seven days longer than Super Mario Run. Clash Royale, the third-largest mobile game launch of 2016, reached 25 million in 12 days, slightly behind Pokémon GO. However, what's truly astounding is that Super Mario Run has achieved this on iOS alone, and without China in the mix.

Of course, Pokémon GO, while launched on iOS and Android, was limited in terms of available territories at launch. Clash Royale was also available on both platforms, in more countries than either (including China).

A Huge Launch, But Revenue Dampened by Premium Pricing

As of this writing, Super Mario Run remains No. 1 for iPhone downloads in 75 of the 80 countries where it's ranking, and No. 1 for revenue in 23. Gamers in Japan, Nintendo's home territory, seem to be less accepting of the $9.99 price tag, as the game has struggled to maintain a spot in the top five grossing apps there.

This is probably better illustrated by the breakdown of ratings for Super Mario Run in Japan. More than 63 percent of ratings for the game there are currently at one star, with the majority of one star reviews citing the full game's price as being prohibitive. 57 percent of user ratings on the U.S. App Store are at one star; price is again the most mentioned keyword in the store's one star reviews.

Despite concerns about the game's pricing, our current estimate puts paid users at approximately 2.1 million worldwide. By comparison, the paid game Lara Croft Go, launched in August 2015, has been downloaded approximately 280,000 times worldwide on the App Store since release. It can't be understated, however, that the vast majority of early Super Mario Run downloaders clearly find the full game pricing prohibitive, and we can only imagine how much better the conversion rate could be at $2.99 or even $4.99.