Super Mario Run's coverage by games and tech press exposes the deep problems with the way mobile games are typically written about.
Princess Peach. Beloved royalty of the Mushroom Kingdom, and the constant damsel in distress that sets the tone for most Super Mario games. However, there is a darkness in this one, and she is not all smiles, pink hearts, and expensive parasols. No, no. She is not quite what she seems.
Many immediately found the negativity of Nintendo's approach to mobile gaming, but The Never Yak thinks that the move is actually a positive one for both Nintendo and gaming in general.
I really liked Mario Run's model. Pay once, unlock everything.
Unfortunately, people prefer to be whales, so Nintendo saw real money lies in microtransactions and gacha mechanics. So now I feel less and less excited for each new mobile game they announce.
Nintendo was too protective of the Mario brand to top mobile revenue charts with Super Mario Run, so it's trying to change that with Dr. Mario World and Mario Kart Tour. But is it working?
I think the big lessons to be learned are:
1. Don't label it as a "free" game when in fact it costs $10 play.
2. $10 is too much for a mobile game (regardless of quality) because the competition is charging far less.
If you have 90 million people download and try the game but only 3% think it's worth the asking price, then you have a problem. It's the basics of capitalism. The price and demand have to have a meeting point. At 3%, it is not at the meeting point, it's too high.