Nintendo’s Monetization of Mobile Games Depends on IP and Target Audience

The mobile gaming space is ripe for monetization, and it’s something that Nintendo’s apps have been fully cognizant of. With the exception of Super Mario Run (which turned out to be something of a financial disappointment for the company), all their major mobile games have been heavily monetized, from the gacha mechanics of Fire Emblem Heroes to the excessive monetization of the recently released Mario Kart Tour.

But according to Nintendo, there is no one single rulebook for how they monetize all their mobile games. Speaking in an interview with Time, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that monetization for mobile games is something Nintendo decides on an app-to-app basis, and how each of them is monetized depends on the IP they’re handling, and the kind of audience they’re targeting.

“In terms of monetization, that’s something that we decided on an app basis,” said Furukawa. “It’s something we decide looking at the game content of each app, as well as the IP used and the player that we’re targeting. We also look at how we can best have the players enjoy the game, as well as how they would be comfortable in spending money.”

Nintendo’s efforts in the mobile space have been quite successful. Other than the aforementioned Fire Emblem, Super Mario, and Mario Kart mobile games, Nintendo’s also released Dr. Mario World, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and Dragalia Lost, which was a completely new IP built from the ground up for mobile devices.