Nintendo Share Value Falls After Super Mario Run Release

Following the release of Super Mario Run on December 15, Nintendo's shares dropped by five percent, knocking around $1.1 billion off the company's market value. By the time the market closed in Tokyo, share value recovered slightly and it ended the day with an overall decline of around four percent.

This is despite the fact that Super Mario Run reached the No.1 spot on Apple's free games chart in many major markets within hours of its release and, according to some analysts, is predicted to reach around 30 million downloads and bring in $60 million in its first month.

Serkan Toto, a noted video game analyst, previously predicted that Super Mario Run would reach 1 billion downloads "easily," making it one of the most popular smartphone games in history.

Although it is unclear why investors have responded negatively to the title, it has been speculated that the game's premium price tag may be a factor. Although the game is free to download, this version is limited to three short levels. In order to unlock the full game players must pay $10/£8. Even then, the game is quite brief.

Super Mario Run is also only available on iOS platforms. Although Nintendo has indicated that it will launch for Android devices in 2017, a specific release date has not been announced.

Another element of Super Mario Run that has been contentious is its need to always be connected to the internet. This restricts when and where the game can be played, which is somewhat antithetical to the nature of mobile games.

Shares for DeNA, the company Nintendo has partnered with for its mobile titles, also fell after the launch of Super Mario Run. At the end of trading share value had dropped by around six percent.

As of yet, Super Mario Run is not available in China, which is one of the largest mobile game markets in the world.

Nintendo's stock previously took a hit after the reveal of Switch, it's next gaming platform. Its value dropped by 6.5 percent, around skepticism of its ability to reach a wide audience.

In GameSpot's Super Mario Run review critic Peter Brown awarded the game a 7/10, saying it is "on the easy side and bereft of a long-lasting platforming adventure" but also "the sort of game that you'll be happy to have in your pocket."

He continued: "It's easy to fault Run for various reasons, but it's hard to totally lose appreciation for how well it's brought the series' core gameplay to smartphones. Simple controls be damned, Run offers great platforming and that distinct Mario charm that Nintendo's perfected over the years."