Nintendo has announced that service for its popular mobile title, Mario Kart Tour, will officially end on September 29. The end-of-service announcement follows the recent release of Pictonico!, Nintendo's third new mobile game in approximately one year. This move raises questions about Nintendo's ongoing strategy in the mobile gaming market, especially considering the success of Mario Kart Tour since its 2019 launch.
Players can no longer purchase the in-game currency, rubies, for Mario Kart Tour. However, any existing rubies can still be used to acquire items within the game until the service concludes. Automatic renewals for the game's Gold Pass subscription have been disabled. Current Gold Pass subscribers will continue to receive benefits at no additional cost until the service ends, and all players will gain free access to Gold Pass benefits from August 4 until the shutdown date.
Mario Kart Tour joins a growing list of Nintendo mobile titles that have ceased operation, including Miitomo, Dragalia Lost, and Dr. Mario World. While Nintendo's biggest mobile success, Fire Emblem Heroes, launched in 2017, continues to operate, along with the augmented reality game Pikmin Bloom and the paid, non-live-service title Super Mario Run, the discontinuation of Mario Kart Tour suggests a reevaluation of its mobile portfolio.
While Mario Kart Tour achieved considerable success, it reportedly did not reach the same financial heights as titles like Fire Emblem Heroes, which has earned over $1 billion and remains a top earner. SensorTower estimates place Mario Kart Tour's lifetime earnings between $200 million and $300 million, and it does not currently feature on GachaRevenue's earnings charts. This disparity in performance may be a key factor in Nintendo's decision to end its service.
The shutdown of Mario Kart Tour may indicate a diminished appetite for maintaining free-to-play, live-service games. Nintendo's more recent mobile releases, such as Fire Emblem Shadows, Hello Mario!, and Pictonico!, suggest a move towards different models. Hello Mario! is a free promotional app, while Pictonico! offers level packs for purchase and relies on a novelty factor rather than continuous updates. This shift implies that while Nintendo retains an interest in mobile gaming, it may be prioritizing less resource-intensive approaches.