Nintendo and DeNA have announced that they will no longer be creating new content for their mobile game, Mario Kart Tour, which was launched four years ago. The companies confirmed this news in a message to players, stating that after the game’s new ‘tour’ of content, the Anniversary Tour starting on September 20, all future seasons will consist of content from previous tours.
The message from the companies reads, “No new courses, drivers, karts, or gliders will be added following the Battle Tour starting 04/10/2023. We hope you continue to enjoy playing Mario Kart Tour.” This announcement has sparked speculation of an imminent release for the Nintendo Switch title, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as it has often shared new course releases with the mobile version.
This decision to halt the creation of new content for Mario Kart Tour reflects Nintendo’s diminishing focus on mobile games. Unlike other major publishers like Activision and Take-Two Interactive, where mobile games make up a significant portion of their annual revenues, Nintendo’s earnings from mobile games have only made up a small percentage. Of the eight major mobile games Nintendo has launched, support has now been ended for five, including Mario Kart Tour.
Among Nintendo’s mobile games, Fire Emblem Heroes has been the most successful, according to Appmagic data recently published by Mobilegamer.biz. It has earned Nintendo over $810 million out of an estimated $1.5 billion earned from mobile games, averaging around $5 million per month. Mario Kart Tour recently surpassed Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp as the second highest-grossing mobile game for Nintendo, earning around $243 million from 230 million downloads, approximately $2 million per month.
Notably, in October 2022, Nintendo and DeNA removed a controversial gacha mechanic from Mario Kart Tour, which led to a significant drop in the game’s monthly earnings by an estimated $1 million.
With the discontinuation of new content for Mario Kart Tour, fans and players can only hope for future surprises and releases from Nintendo on other platforms, particularly the Nintendo Switch.