Sponsored: Will Super Mario Run Go F2P For Android Launch?
When a cheeky Italian plumber first appeared in Donkey Kong in 1981, not many gamers probably thought they were looking at a video game character who would go on to be one of the most successful ever created.
Mario continues to endure and his popularity remains high thanks to the release of mobile game Super Mario Run, which was made available exclusively on iTunes for an upfront fee of $10 last year.
However, reports from Business Insider have shown that the game has been downloaded more than 90 million times, but with only a very small percentage of users actually paying for the right to play.
This has undoubtedly put a spotlight on how people approach mobile gaming and their expectations in relation to payment. Ultimately, do people have different expectations when it comes to paying for mobile games and should Nintendo, therefore, change their approach?
There are of course a host of different payment approaches taken towards online gaming in general. For example, the world of casino gaming allows players to make a gaming deposit by phone, with funds being charged to the user’s phone bill. Is there scope for Nintendo to adapt the game so that access to specific levels can be paid for in this manner?
Of course, such a move may take Super Mario Run closer to the F2P – or free-to-play – model of earning revenue. For the uninitiated this would mean that gamers would download the game for free and be encouraged to buy items within the game as they play.
For many of the big games within the mobile gaming sphere this is now the norm and this approach marks the area out from standard console gaming where upfront fees are standard. Should Nintendo therefore stop its upfront fee policy and treat Super Mario Run like just another mobile game?
It has just been confirmed that Super Mario Run will, following the aforementioned long period of exclusivity on iTunes, be made available to Android smartphone users in March this year. The news has already led to some calls in support of an F2P-style release on that platform.
The big question now is of course whether Nintendo will choose to go down that route. Should an approach more akin to other mobile games be taken? Will they stick to their guns on the upfront fee? Or will they surprise us all by going outside of the box and taking a completely different approach to payment?
It is set to be a fascinating few months and no doubt many gamers will be waiting with baited breath to see what the outcome is. Whatever happens, this whole issue has shone a light on the continuing popularity of mobile games, the way that people consume them and – of course – how or whether they pay for them too.
The approach Nintendo take could be a huge step – not just in terms of the lovable little Italian plumber’s success, but also in respect of how payment trends continue to evolve and develop across the gaming industry.
