Super Mario Run Downloads Said to Break All Day One Records

When Nintendo announced it would bring Super Mario to mobile platforms, the hype was real. The company expected to ride high on the nostalgia element and going by the numbers, it looks like it has a winner on its hands. Super Mario Run for iPhone is said to have broken all records for opening day downloads.

While there are no official numbers from Nintendo or Apple, a number of stats from different third-party sites have been giving various figures, and all of them point to really high numbers. According to the data collected by Apptopia, Super Mario Run saw 2,850,000 downloads in its first day on the App Store. The numbers dwarf Pokemon Go's 900,000 downloads on its first day. Another firm called App Annie recorded 3.5 million downloads just in the US for day one, going to 10 million downloads globally on its launch day.

(Also see: Super Mario Run Review)

There are some differences when comparing Super Mario Run's launch to Pokemon Go's launch. Pokemon Go rolled out in a phased manner with only a few countries getting the game when it launched back in July. In fact, it took 5 months for the game to finally make its way to India (officially) when it was launched just a day ahead of Super Mario Run on December 14. Super Mario Run, on the other hand, went live worldwide at once, which would understandably boost its day one download rate.

The hype for Super Mario Run was always going to be big. Right from when Shigeru Miyamoto, the chief game designer and creator, announced the game for the iPhone during Apple's September event, Nintendo fans around the world lauded the company's decision to move with the times and finally bring the game to the smartphone.

(Also see: Super Mario Run Is Great but Not for India)

While the game is free to download, unlocking the full game requires an in-app purchase, which brings the game to $10 or Rs. 620, making it a pretty expensive for a mobile game.

According to Apptopia, the cost and limited free gameplay are some of the reasons behind the game's 33,000 one-star ratings. Others are upset that the app requires an always-on Internet connection to run.

Notably, the massive first day figures only account for iOS users as the game has not been launched for Android as of yet. Android users will have to wait until 2017 for the game to be available in the Play Store. While the numbers are still pouring in for Super Mario Run downloads for iOS, you can expect a massive hike whenever the game rolls out for the Android platform.