Super Mario Run made a successful debut recently but it's still early to tell if it can exceed Pokemon GO's popularity. Here are some comparisons between the two Nintendo games.
Super Mario Run, Pokemon Go Debut Compared
Super Mario Run was downloaded approximately 10 million times in its first day alone, according to App Annie. In less than a week, the Nintendo mobile game was downloaded more than 40 million times. It currently occupies the Apple Store's number one spot in more than 100 countries.
Meanwhile, Pokemon GO was initially rolled in a few countries and incrementally added more countries as time goes by. In fact, Niantic introduced the mobile game in South Asian countries like India more than a week ago. In contrast, Super Mario Run was release worldwide.
Pokemon GO on the other hand is available for both iOS and Android devices. Super Mario Run is only available for iOS devices and the Android version is expected to come out in 2017. Interestingly, the Niantic game has already been downloaded more than a half billion times. Such feat will be a long distance hurdle for the running Italian plumber to overcome.
Player Base Compared
Much of the initial excitement generated by Pokemon GO has now subsided. Millions of people have stopped playing it. Many though are still playing it weekly since they number more than 15 million, according to SurveyMonkey.
Super Mario Run does not have that number yet since it's a newly released mobile game. Aside from being an iOS exclusive for now, critics believed that the $10 one-time payment turns off many interested players. Still, four out ten people buy it after downloading the runner game.
2017 Outlook
Pokemon GO reportedly earned more than $600 million as of October 2016. It's too early to make an accurate sale forecast on the runner now since it was only released on December 15. There is a chance that Super Mario Run will overtake Pokemon GO once the game comes out on Android by 2017.
