Super Mario Bros. is, without a doubt, one of the biggest franchises in video games. But it doesn’t mean that other games related to it would also experience success. Take, for example, Dr. Mario World.
This match-three game was released to mobile platforms in July 2019. Sadly, it won’t be staying online for long since it’s shutting down by November 1 this year. In fact, the entire service is going to end, which means it’s not going to be playable anywhere. In preparation for that eventual shutdown, players can no longer buy diamonds starting July 28.
Like other Dr. Mario games, Dr. Mario World has players remove viruses by matching their colors to that of a pill capsule. It’s like Tetris but with viruses and pills. One difference though is that the level is considered complete once all viruses have been removed.
Once the service ends, players should get an end-of-service notification and of course, won’t be able to play the game anymore.
While no reason was given for the move, many point out the low revenue. During the first three days of the launch, the game reported downloads of more than 2 million with revenues revealed to be at $100,000. However, that apparently slowed down six months after launch and was reported to be Nintendo’s worst-performing mobile game.
Dr. Mario World was developed and published by Nintendo in partnership with both Line Corp. and NHN Entertainment. This isn’t the only Mario mobile game in Nintendo’s portfolio though. There’s the Mario Kart Tour released in the same year as Dr. Mario World, which has been doing well so far.
Nintendo’s most successful mobile game remains Fire Emblem Heroes . As of last year, that game has grossed at least $656 million. Other mobile games by Nintendo include Super Mario Run, which was released in 2016. There’s also Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, launched in 2017.
While this news could be sad for some Mario fans, it really doesn’t have much of a dent for Nintendo overall. That’s because a lot of its income typically comes from Switch.
What do you think? Should Nintendo continue to release mobile games or focus on its consoles?
