Nintendo’s mobile game Mario Kart Tour has surpassed 200 million downloads and $200 million in lifetime revenue, a new report from app analytics firm Sensor Tower says.
The United States remains the biggest market for Mario Kart Tour, representing 37.4 million downloads and $76 million in revenue across iOS and Android. According to Sensor Tower, Google Play makes up 56.2% of global installs, compared to 43.8% on iOS. However, the App Store comes out on top in generating revenue — making up a whopping 63.4% of total lifetime spending.
Sensor Tower‘s report details the spectacular success of Mario Kart Tour:
“The wildly popular franchise had a stellar start to life on mobile, racing past 100 million downloads and racking up $17.8 million in its first 11 days following its official launch on September 25, 2019. It surpassed its first $100 million in just less than six months, powered by the title’s Gold Pass subscription, available for $4.99 per month, which enables players to obtain more in-game rewards such as Gold Gifts and access to 200cc races.”
Mario Kart Tour is a big money-maker for Nintendo
The game’s big success does not come as a massive surprise. Mario Kart is a beloved franchise. And, while this is pure theory on my part, the similarities in values between Nintendo and Apple as companies — beautiful hardware, excellent quality control, innovation — would suggest that there may be a crossover in audience.
I wasn’t initially a big fan of Mario Kart Tour on iOS. However, the game’s developers continued to expand and improve it over time. Most notably, they added a shedload of new characters and a cavalcade of revolving courses, themed to different events throughout the year.
According to Apple, Mario Kart Tour was the most downloaded App Store game of 2019. And its in-app purchases prove extremely lucrative.
It isn’t Nintendo’s biggest mobile hit to date, though. (That would be Fire Emblem Heroes.) It also doesn’t come close to touching the money-printing giant that is Pokémon Go. Last year, Pokémon Go earned more than $1 billion — while lifetime revenues soared well past $4.2 billion globally.
You can download Mario Kart Tour for free from the App Store. Yes, the game features in-app purchases, but these aren’t necessary for you to enjoy it.
Source: Sensor Tower
