Mario Nintendo's Only Money Maker?

[Ramo]

I don't think that Mario games is the only money maker for Nintendo but it is definitely the most as it's a very popular game series. When you think of Nintendo you always think of Mario games.

 

[Dana]

I don't think it would hurt them to have third party games too, but I agree that I don't really think that they need them that much. The majority of their money comes from Mario and Pokemon anyways.

 

[LitoLawless]

I don't think Mario is the ONLY money maker Nintendo has. The Zelda series is EXTREMELY popular and has because a cash cow for Nintendo as well. Super Smash Bros. (a game that features MANY Nintendo properties) has also become a favorite of many gamers. Super Smash Bros. features all the Nintendo properties and in turn, Nintendo makes money from all of them. All the Pokemon games seem to still be doing well, but I'm not sure if that's a Ninterndo property or not.

 

[LitoLawless]

I don't think Mario is the ONLY money maker Nintendo has. The Zelda series is EXTREMELY popular and has because a cash cow for Nintendo as well. Super Smash Bros. (a game that features MANY Nintendo properties) has also become a favorite of many gamers. Super Smash Bros. features all the Nintendo properties and in turn, Nintendo makes money from all of them. All the Pokemon games seem to still be doing well, but I'm not sure if that's a Ninterndo property or not.

 

[JayWifi]

Mario is far from being Nintendo's only money-maker. I for one am a huge Zelda fan, and I'm always waiting for a new adventure to arise in the series. Pokemon is very good as well, however Nintendo is mostly profiting off of remakes now. Its pretty safe to say that Nintendo isn't famous for only having one popular series.

 

[Dana]

Mario is far from being Nintendo's only money-maker. I for one am a huge Zelda fan, and I'm always waiting for a new adventure to arise in the series. Pokemon is very good as well, however Nintendo is mostly profiting off of remakes now. Its pretty safe to say that Nintendo isn't famous for only having one popular series.

I haven't really played Zelda much in my life, but when was the last time they came out with a new Zelda game? I feel like when I think of Zelda I think of game cube!

 

[utneqo7d]

Mario is not Nintendo's only game maker, though almost all money Nintendo makes is from it's own franchises like Mario, Zelda and Pokémon. They don't collaborate that well with bigger companies who make AAA titles (like GTA V) so that's the problem, and the reason why only Mario, Zelda and some of their other franchises keep it alive.

 

[weepforsweep]

Pokemon and Zelda are the two other cash cows. I wish Nintendo would make some new franchises instead of rehashing the same Mario game.

 

[fire421]

It does seem like that. Nintendo releases a new Mario every year. Pretty soon it'll be like Call of Duty. I personally love the Mario games bu t have noticed a drop in quality. I wish they would create a new IP or at least be more accessible to third party developers, so they can start making quality games again,\.

 

[Nero]

Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, Mario, Smash Bros, and Mario Kart is there money maker. As of now though they seem to be letting a lot of third party ppl go on there consoles and most of it seems to be awesome.

 

[rockandgreen]

Mario isn't one of their only money makers. You have many other great series to consider such as Pokemon and The Legend of Zelda, to name a few. However the greatest hit has been Mario and that is probably why Nintendo tries so hard to keep up with that series, even if it sacrifices the quality of their other works.

 

[Eggy216]

I wouldn't say Mario is the only money maker for Nintendo. In fact, I don't even know if it's their main money-maker these days - it's just the easiest one to use as an IP to represent their company because everyone knows who Mario is, and it's a versatile base to use in various situations. I do believe Pokemon is probably their bigger money-maker though.

 

[Gladdy]

Pokemon has always been their top money maker 100%. The fan base that Pokemon series have can't be compared to Mario's. I think even the Zelda games probably beat Mario in term of sales, or no? I'd imagine so. Mario is an amazing game but my favorite is still on NES and SNES which was made a long time ago. Then you always have other popular games such as Fire Emblem series, Animal Crossing and more. Nintendo has several big money makers or they wouldn't be this successful

 

[rockandgreen]

Mario followed the tradition of other platformers of that time. However, Pokemon took a bold leap into a new developing RPG style of gaming that required a collection and upkeep/maintenance of inventory known as 'Pokemon' in 'Pokeballs' that added a whole new dimension to exploration and growth. You could really develop a closer bond with the Pokemon who won a battle for you, as a team. This, for me and perhaps many other fans, brought a new idea to the table which made it a very good quality game with high ratings and lots of sales which is why it has been Nintendo's biggest success. Since Nintendo tries to be innovative I think if they make innovative games, those are the best money makers for them. Pokemon is a prime example of this.

 

[Eggy216]

Pokemon has always been their top money maker 100%. The fan base that Pokemon series have can't be compared to Mario's. I think even the Zelda games probably beat Mario in term of sales, or no? I'd imagine so. Mario is an amazing game but my favorite is still on NES and SNES which was made a long time ago. Then you always have other popular games such as Fire Emblem series, Animal Crossing and more. Nintendo has several big money makers or they wouldn't be this successful

I was curious, so I looked it up. As far as number of sales (not money), Mario is in fact their biggest money maker - which makes sense when you consider that you can pretty much make any game and stick his name on it. That's followed by Pokemon, followed by the "Wii Series" (which includes Wii sports, so kind of cheating), then Zelda. Pretty interesting stats. http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Best_selling_Nintendo_games

 

[rockandgreen]

Sales are one of the most crucial statistics that decide whether or not a game is successful. However, just because Mario has a lot of sales doesn't mean that other games aren't profitable.

 

[Gladdy]

I was curious, so I looked it up. As far as number of sales (not money), Mario is in fact their biggest money maker - which makes sense when you consider that you can pretty much make any game and stick his name on it. That's followed by Pokemon, followed by the "Wii Series" (which includes Wii sports, so kind of cheating), then Zelda. Pretty interesting stats. http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Best_selling_Nintendo_games

Oh damn... twice the amount of sales above every other franchise? that's quite a lot. I didn't expect such numbers. But then if you look at the most sold individual games, the Super Mario Bros. is only third. Shows that it might be their biggest money maker, it isn't the only one

 

[PenguinManiac]

Only? Nope. Biggest? By far.
It's always been their most popular series AND also currently the longest-running, so obviously the revenue it generated game by game stacked every year. Even their best-selling app right now is Super Mario Run (followed by Pokémon Go and Fire Emblem Heroes, I suppose).
However, Nintendo has many more IPs they can rely on. Pokémon and Zelda are easy mentions, and they have been pushing Fire Emblem quite a bit lately, even though it's still not on par with the first three, they're pretty much their Holy Trinity. Still, if Mario suddenly disappeared, I'm sure they could still live off the other two (although Pokémon's a second party IP, since it's developed by Game Freaks, so the income the series provides is a little damped for them).

 

[Eggy216]

Oh damn... twice the amount of sales above every other franchise? that's quite a lot. I didn't expect such numbers. But then if you look at the most sold individual games, the Super Mario Bros. is only third. Shows that it might be their biggest money maker, it isn't the only one

Oh I agree! I was actually thinking that Pokemon was their #1 franchise (and it still might be as far as money goes) so the numbers were a bit of a surprise for me, but they certainly make sense!

 

[pichugirl]

Well.. Exist Pokémon and Zelda too. All are games that Nintendo use for promote their games and consoles, or al least this appears to be the "no failure" formula for make money. Use a old game, improve it slowly, all minuscule release will make all the nostalgia out of their fans and they, of course,buy all they want to sell. So, the response is, yes. But not only Mario.