Soundwave on 24 March 2017
The goal really was to make a lot of money from this despite the spin I think.
They tried the $10 model because they wanted that to be the standard so they could sell future games for $10 a pop ... or maybe even more. So if Mario Run had become a monster hit at that price it would've opened the flood gates for other Nintendo titles on iOS/Android at that price.
If it was just for "brand awareness" they'd just give the game away for free or for 99 cents. Locking a mobile game behind a $10 paywell is not something you do if you want maximum exposure.
