Despite Super Mario Run’s rampant popularity, Nintendo’s shares took a hit on December 15th, the same day the eagerly anticipated mobile game released in the iOS App Store.
U.K-based Sky News is reporting that Nintendo’s shares dropped five percent on December 15th, knocking approximately $2 billion dollars of the company’s total market value in Tokyo. The Japanese gaming giant’s partner in its mobile development initiative, DeNA, also took a hit, with its shares dropping 6.8 percent. In total, Nintendo’s shares dropped 10 percent over teh course of last week.
Despite the stock drop, Super Mario Run remains the top earning app in 14 countries, according to data cited by app analytics firm SensorTower.
The game has been heavily critiqued for only allowing users to play its first three levels for free, with the full mobile title unlocking at a $13.99 price point, making it one of the App Store’s most costly games.
While Super Mario Run is a modernization of Nintendo’s business practices, with the company opting to begin releasing games for the lucrative mobile platform, the app’s limited level selection and overall depth is disappointing.
[source]Wall Street Journal, Sky News, Fortune[/source]
