Investors Are Unimpressed by Super Mario Run

Despite mixed reviews and Nintendo’s controversial online-only policy, Super Mario Run has apparently turned into the expected smash hit. Nintendo’s first smartphone game featuring one of its legacy characters has reached 40 million downloads in just four days, the company announced yesterday.

It’s not all rosy in Nintendo land though. Fans around the world had been bristling with excitement ahead of the game’s release last Thursday until the company killed some of the vibe by announcing that Super Mario’s first mobile adventure required an always-on internet connection, leaving players not so mobile after all.

Combine the controversy surrounding the online requirement with an unusual pricing policy and what should have been a huge triumph for Nintendo starts to look a lot less triumphant. Shareholders have certainly been less than impressed with how the company managed what was arguably its most important product launch of the year. As opposed to the launch of Pokémon Go, which sent Nintendo’s share price soaring in July, Super Mario’s smartphone debut resulted in a double-digit decline within a week of its release.