Nintendo's Mobile Games Earned $348 Million in 2018 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Nintendo's Mobile Games Earned $348 Million in 2018

by

Nintendo earned approximately $348 million from its iOS and Android apps in 2018, according to new estimates shared this week by analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Player spending hit a new record of $117 million during the fourth quarter of 2018, a 47 percent increase over the fourth quarter of 2017. Overall, Nintendo increased its earnings 15 percent compared to 2017.

nintendo2018earnings
Much of the money that Nintendo earned came from Fire Emblem Heroes, its most popular title. Fire Emblem Heroes accounted for approximately 66 percent of Nintendo's 2018 revenue, with more than $230 million spent in the game across the globe.

Since its debut, Fire Emblem Heroes has earned more than $487 million.

Though it is Nintendo's newest game, Dragalia Lost brought in an estimated $58.4 million worldwide, while Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which turned a year old in November, earned Nintendo $48.6 million during 2018.

Nintendo's original mobile game and first paid title, Super Mario Run, brought in just $10 million in 2018, down from $31 million in 2017.

In 2019, Nintendo plans to expand its portfolio of mobile titles with the launch of Mario Kart Tour, set to be released in March. Like Fire Emblem Heroes, Dragalia Lost, and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Mario Kart Tour will be free to play and supported through in-app purchases.

Top Rated Comments

rafark Avatar
97 months ago
Not a knock against Nintendo in particular, but I have to wonder how much more good might be done with the money people are spending on virtual goods for virtual games (inevitably lining the pockets of wealthy corporations), when it might be better spent by paying real people for real goods, perhaps making a real difference in the real world.

People complain about "the system" being rigged, with increasingly large concentrations of wealth being held by a select few. The sad fact is, many people simply choose to fritter their money away.
Watcha talkin' bout? People play games to have fun and distract themselves from the outer world. Paying for this is like paying for a music or video subscription service like Spotify or Netflix, or even regular cable plans.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vasilioskn Avatar
97 months ago
Never heard of the top two games. Lmao guess I’m officialy ancient at 37 years old
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
97 months ago
Not a knock against Nintendo in particular, but I have to wonder how much more good might be done with the money people are spending on virtual goods for virtual games (inevitably lining the pockets of wealthy corporations), when it might be better spent by paying real people for real goods, perhaps making a real difference in the real world.

People complain about "the system" being rigged, with increasingly large concentrations of wealth being held by a select few. The sad fact is, many people simply choose to fritter their money away.
People do work at corporations and do get paid to create the games and apps. $350m is small compared to what Apple milks from the users purchasing the devices to play these games.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
97 months ago
And not one cent from me. How about you?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
97 months ago
And not one cent from me. How about you?
Me too.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Goff Avatar
97 months ago
Where the &^@% is my Mario Kart! :)
On consoles where it makes sense.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

nintendo pictonico

Nintendo's New 'Pictonico' iOS Game Turns Your Photos Into Minigames

Tuesday May 19, 2026 1:25 pm PDT by
Nintendo today announced a new mobile game called Pictonico, which is set to launch on Thursday, May 28. Pictonico turns photos into minigames like those you see in WarioWare. The app's website features players taking photos of themselves and their friends, with the app altering the photos in different ways. In one example, the person's mouth opens up widely to chomp on corn with a tap, and...
Apple Event Logo

Apple to Release These 15 New Products Later This Year

Friday June 12, 2026 7:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual WWDC developers conference is drawing to a close, but there is still a lot to look forward to in the second half of the year. Apple is expected to release at least 15 more products later this year. Now that the more intelligent and personal version of Siri has finally arrived in beta, a full two years after Apple first previewed it at WWDC 2024, we should begin to see some new ...
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Tuesday June 9, 2026 11:29 am PDT by
If you pay for extra iCloud storage on your iPhone, beyond the 5GB included for free, you might receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. First, Apple said there will be daily usage limits for some of the new and enhanced Apple Intelligence features on iOS 27, including image generation. However, the company noted that "increased access" is available with "most" iCloud+ storage ...