Analytics firm Sensor Tower has all but confirmed what anyone following the mobile gaming market should know: Fire Emblem Heroes [Free] made more money than Super Mario Run [Free]. Specifically, Sensor Tower's data has Fire Emblem Heroes as making $295 million in its first year, more than the $56 million that Super Mario Run made in its first year. For context of how well Fire Emblem Heroes is doing, consider that $295 million translates to about 4.9 million copies of a $60 game. FEH sold about as well as Splatoon 2, and it has the potential to keep building on those numbers as a service title.

Fire Emblem Heroes' success is noteworthy, but especially so in the context of Super Mario Run. Analysts thought the game could see a billion downloads as Mario hit mobile. However, the title's momentum was likely stalled by two key factors: the iOS-exclusive release, and the negative reaction to the free-to-start model. When the Android version released a few months later, the hype had long since subsided, and a pay-once model is less likely to work on that platform due to the larger number of cheap devices and lower-income Android users. Fire Emblem Heroes' simultaneous release and more traditional free-to-play business model combined to make for a more lucrative game despite the gulf between the two licenses' popularity. Of course, neither of these titles compare to Pokemon GO [Free], which makes sense in another way. Pokemon is easily the stronger brand, and its gameplay was un...