Super Mario Run is still short of Nintendo's profit expectations

Super Mario Run has now been downloaded 200 million times worldwide, and yet Nintendo still isn't satisfied with how much money it has made.

Mario's mobile debut launched in December last year, and it hit 150 million downloads at the end of April. However, despite adding a further 50 million downloads in the six months since then, Nintendo expressed disappointment in how profitable the game has been.

In an investor briefing, the company said that "we have not yet reached an acceptable profit point" with Super Mario Run, and emphasised the amount it has learned that can be used in its future mobile releases. Nintendo is still updating and promoting the game, including a new game mode, Remix10, which was added in September, and a "special price offer" to coincide with the update.

Nintendo saw better performance, relatively speaking, from a different mobile title: Fire Emblem Heroes, which launched in February and, notably, employed a free-to-play business model. In that case, an ongoing program of updates means it is, "on track to meet our overall business objectives, including our profit objectives."

This difference is arguably evident in the strategy for Nintendo's next major mobile release, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which will also use a free-to-play revenue model based on a soft currency called "Leaf Tickets." Nevertheless, Nintendo described Animal Crossing's business model as "free-to-start" when presenting to its investors.

"There will be Leaf Tickets, which can be used in a variety of situations within the game, as consumable items. They will be available for free as the game advances but players can also purchase these. Our objective is to offer a service that allows even consumers who do not normally play games on a regular basis to have a little fun each and every day."