Super Mario Run was an exciting prospect for smartphone gamers in several different ways. For starters, it was the first proper Nintendo title for mobile gamers since Miitomo, which you couldn’t technically count as a game, as it was more of a social platform. It was also the first Nintendo mobile game to offer what many saw as a steep pricing structure with the trappings of free-to-play gaming. You could play through the first world all you wanted, or you could play $9.99 to unlock the entire game and play at your own pace. Once you completed all the worlds, however, there wasn’t much else to do beyond that point.
Also: How to Enjoy Super Mario Run for Free
Mobile gamers and Nintendo fans a lot were quick to double-down on mocking Nintendo’s launch strategy for Super Mario Run given its price tag and content unlock fee, but it ended up thriving after its release despite what pundits had to say. By January, Super Mario Run had hit 78 million downloads, but was sitting at a 5% buy rate. While that sounds like it’s not so successful, and it didn’t in fact reach Nintendo’s sales expectations, it still made a massive amount of money, and it positioned Nintendo as such to start expanding in the mobile market, adding Fire Emblem Heroes at a later date, which continues to be a top-seller as far as Nintendo mobile games are concerned now.
But the kicker was a small tidbit from an errant interview with Nintendo from the New York Times, where it was stated that no other additional content would be produced for the title. It was quickly picked up by the media and the narrative was advanced that the game just wouldn’t get any more content, free or otherwise. Only it did. It received another free mode, special free content encouraging multiplayer modes, and now it’s getting a massive new update on September 29.
A new #SuperMarioRun update arrives 29/09, including a new world, new mode, new playable character, and more! pic.twitter.com/YuNb064EBk
— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) September 23, 2017
Nintendo of Europe tweeted recently that on September 29, Super Mario Run is not only getting a price cut to $4.99, but it’s also getting a bunch of new content as well. It’s getting a new additional world, a new game mode, and a new playable character in the form of Daisy. You’ll collect Rainbow Coins in a “remix” mode where you play different snippets of 10 different levels, the World Star world, and Daisy to be “rescued” by finishing up the Remix 10 mode, the aforementioned new mode you can play in. You can also listen to your own music now while playing the game, which will add tiny headphones onto your characters while you’re doing that.
To commemorate the upcoming #SuperMarioRun update, the full game will be available for £4.99/€5.49 starting 29/09 until 12/10. pic.twitter.com/Umhx9RJkWX
— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) September 23, 2017
It’s a big update and price cut, and one that must have undoubtedly been in the works, as it seems a quick pivot to offering additional content nearly a year out after the game’s release on December 15, 2016. This must have been in the cards for some time now, but whatever the case may be, it’s satisfying to see Nintendo following through on its initial promise of support after the game’s release rather than going back and proving critics right by essentially rendering the game dead on all counts. By halving the price and including new content for fans, it’s cementing the fact that there’s plenty to do and a small price to pay to do it going forward, which should bolster Nintendo’s mobile plans going into the holidays, ahead of the launch of Super Mario Odyssey.
