Nintendo is slashing 50 percent off Super Mario Run to celebrate Mario Day on March 10. New players will be able to unlock the full game, which includes six different worlds, for just $4.99 — but only for a limited time.
Nintendo made the game free to download, but charged $9.99 to those who wanted to continue playing beyond the first few levels. Big Nintendo fans coughed up, many more gave a resounding “nope” and complained about the hefty fee on social media.
Super Mario Run is going cheap
Nintendo has since revealed that it has been disappointed by the profit earned from Super Mario Run on mobile. Its more recent games have employed a more traditional free-to-play formula, which lets fans play for as much as they want and makes in-app purchases optional, and they’ve been much more successful.
It’s too late to change Super Mario Run now, but Nintendo will be hoping it can boost sales with a hefty discount to celebrate Mario Day. On March 10, it will slash 50 percent off the full version of the game, reducing its price tag to just $4.99. It will remain half price for two weeks, until March 25.
It’s not yet clear if Nintendo will also be adding new content to celebrate Mario Day. We expect to see something — the company usually adds some new stuff to its games for anniversaries and the like — but Nintendo doesn’t mention anything in its announcement.
If you’ve been holding out for a big discount to Super Mario Run, it seems your patience is about to pay off. Some might say $4.99 is still a little pricey for a mobile game, but Run is well worth it.