'Super Mario Run' may have taken a disappointing start last December. The numbers are out and it shows that out of the 90 million people who downloaded the game on its initial release, only a handful 3 million paid for the game's full version. 'Super Mario Run' is available for free but to get to the best parts and to unlock more worlds, players need to spend $10 for the full version of the game.

Go Nintendo was one of the first to report the results of the research done by Newzoo. The news was initially overwhelming as the research cited 90 million downloads of the game translating to a massive response from players. However when it comes to revenue it was another thing. 'Super Mario Run' generated more than $30 million in gross revenue with only 3 million players paying for the full game. This number was around 2% of King Digital and Zynga's monthly unique users.

The research showed that a large majority of players are not willing to pay $10 for 'Super Mario Run.' Games these days are simply 99 cents per download, free or free with paid extra features.

Crunchyroll also reported 'Super Mario Run's' initial numbers and said that 90 million could have been a huge number if all these players paid for the full game. Nintendo has not officially released statements regarding the results of the research by Newzoo and whether the company thinks this is a success or not remains to be seen too.

Players that have downloaded 'Super Mario Run' the past weeks have mixed opinions of the game. Some thought that $10 a pop was a huge waste, some compared Run with the previous versions of the game while some truly enjoyed their purchase. Still there were some who wished they could have played the game for free.