Nintendo will stop adding new content to Mario Kart Tour, ending its active run. Learn more about the announcement's origins, what this means for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as well as Nintendo's position on mobile gaming.
Nintendo to Stop Creating New Content for Mario Kart Tour
No More New Courses, Drivers, or Karts for Mario Kart Tour
Nintendo and DeNA, the companies behind the famous mobile game Mario Kart Tour, recently announced that they will stop generating new content for the game, marking an effective end four years after its first release. This decision has stirred conversation over Nintendo's current mobile gaming strategy and consequences this will have for their current flagship Mario Kart title, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
The Announcement
Players received details about the discontinuation of content in a message that was delivered to them directly. All succeeding seasons will be made up entirely of content from prior tours, beginning with the Anniversary Tour on September 20, 2023. The message stated, No new courses, drivers, karts, or gliders will be added following the Battle Tour starting October 10, 2023.
Despite this change, both companies expressed hope that players would continue to enjoy the existing material in Mario Kart Tour.
Potential Implications for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
This development fuels speculation about the possible release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's sixth and final DLC wave. In the past, the mobile game and the Nintendo Switch title have shared new course releases, leading fans to expect an announcement about DLC.
The decision to cease fresh material for Mario Kart Tour may also signal that Nintendo's focus in the mobile gaming market may shift. Fire Emblem Heroes is currently Nintendo's most successful mobile game, accounting for nearly $810 million of the estimated $1.5 billion in revenue earned by its mobile gaming initiatives this year. Meanwhile, Mario Kart Tour has eclipsed Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp as Nintendo's second-highest-grossing mobile game.
Challenges Faced by Mario Kart Tour
Despite Mario Kart Tour's considerable success, there have been difficulties. The removal of the game's contentious gacha mechanism by Nintendo and DeNA resulted in a significant decline in its anticipated monthly earnings, falling by $1 million per month since October of the previous year.
Regardless of these moves from Nintendo, other industry titans are conversely actively entering and expanding into the mobile gaming field. Sony, for example, has ambitious aspirations to have roughly 20% of its first party titles available on mobile and PC platforms by 2025. Sony created the PlayStation Studios Mobile Division last year as a strategic move toward the mobile gaming market in pursuit of this objective.
