Dr. Mario World has solid launch with 2 million downloads
Puzzle game debuts well compared to rivals
Nintendo’s latest mobile title, Dr. Mario World has had a solid launch compared to genre rivals, but failed to match the company’s previous performance on smartphones.
According to data gathered by Sensor Tower, the free-to-play puzzle game – which was released on July 9 – was downloaded by more than two million players in its first three days on sale, generating more than $100,000 via in-app purchases.
That is about half of Super Mario Run’s iOS-only downloads figure of 4.3 million and Fire Emblem Heroes’ 4.9 million when comparing the same markets (Dr. Mario World is currently available in only a few regions).
Furthermore, its total is one-third of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’s six million downloads, but significantly higher than Dragalia Lost’s 300k, but that title only released in five markets.
Sensor Tower points out the download numbers are not surprising, considering Dr. Mario World is not as popular as the other franchises Nintendo has released on mobile and it didn’t receive the pre-launch marketing of those titles.
In revenue, Dr. Mario World’s $100,000 spent by players in its first 72-hours is comparable to the latest Candy Crush title from King, Candy Crush Friends Saga, which managed $137,000 in its first three days.
Dr. Mario World is the lowest 72-hour gross so far from a Nintendo mobile title, however its monetisation method differs greatly from the company’s other titles. Super Mario Run, for example, had a ‘try before you buy’ setup.
Nintendo is currently gearing up to release Mario Kart Tour, which is being developed by Super Mario Run and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp creator DeNA, on iOS and Android devices this summer. Beta tests for the racing game were held in May.
