Super Mario Run
Nintendo Creative Fellow Shigeru Miyamoto stands next to the Super Mario character during an Apple media event in San Francisco, California, U.S. September 7, 2016. Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

“Super Mario Run” is set to become one of the highest earning mobile games in smartphone history and that’s a warning bell for “Pokemon GO.” Australian will be embracing the revamped classic with open arms even though the game has launched only on Apple App store. The retro gaming craze is picking up as “Pokemon GO” craze dwindles. Apple is set to add millions as it takes a 30 percent share of the money spent on iOS games.

According to News.com.au, a mobile analytics firm has predicted “Super Mario Run” to make $94 million in the very first month of its release. Aussies need to pay $14.99 in order to play the full version of the game. There are no in-game purchases like “Pokemon GO.” Of course, the Niantic game grossed $192 million dollars in its opening month but the game is losing players rapidly.

“Super Mario Run” does not require players to go out of their comfortable homes during the freezing winter months. This could be the reason why more and more users are getting interested about the Mario game. The game was announced during the Apple iPhone 7 launch in September and since then Apple has promoted the game heavily.

The “Super Mario Run” game just requires an internet connection and lacks any augmented reality aspect such as in “Pokemon GO.” Game experts believe that “Super Mario Run” downloads in its first month could be greater than that of the Niantic game and that it will be historic. Survey Monkey, an analytics firm, has stated that the Niantic blockbuster is losing four million players a week and that’s a big opportunity for “Super Mario Run.”

The recent “Pokemon GO” update that was released was met with criticisms as instead of catching new Pokemon in the wild, players now have to hatch them in eggs. Even a study from Harvard University, published in the British Medical Journal suggests that the fitness boost that “Pokemon GO” promised was a short-lived phenomenon. Thus, releasing “Super Mario Run” when the Nintendo game is losing players is a master move by Nintendo.