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
100 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
100 months ago
Never heard of the top two games. Lmao guess I’m officialy ancient at 37 years old
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
100 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
100 months ago
And not one cent from me. How about you?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
100 months ago
And not one cent from me. How about you?
Me too.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Goff Avatar
100 months ago
Where the &^@% is my Mario Kart! :)
On consoles where it makes sense.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone Handoff Feature

iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature

Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time. ...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Thursday September 3, 2026 3:41 am PDT by
Less than a week before Apple debuts new iPhone 18 Pro models, research firm TrendForce has estimated the prices of the devices based on the latest hardware cost environment. TrendForce's price estimates compared to last year's models look like this: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 17 Pro $1,099 iPhone 18 Pro $...
Apple Foldable Thumb

iPhone Ultra's Very High Price and Features Revealed in New Report

Thursday September 3, 2026 7:33 am PDT by
Ahead of Apple's event on Wednesday, September 9, where it is expected to unveil its first-ever foldable iPhone, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today outlined the device's estimated price range, features, and some other key details. In the U.S., TrendForce estimated that the foldable iPhone will have a starting price of $2,099 to $2,299 and said the highest-end configurations could...