With the launch of Pokémon Go and eventually Super Mario Run, Nintendo finally cottonned on to the fact that it could make an absolute killing on smartphones by bringing over some of its most beloved franchises to the mobile marketplace -- without killing its own portable business in the process. The next hit property it's planning to take to smartphones is Mario Kart and oh boy could it be a killer app to have.
The smartphone iteration of the game will be called Mario Kart Tour and that's about all we know about it for now. While frustrating, it's an exciting bit of news nonetheless, because global Mario Kart multiplayer on devices that hundreds of millions of people own means more racing potential than you've ever had sat in your living room. Although it always feels a little sad taking Nintendo games online, out of the realms of split-screen play that so dominated many of our early lives, there's no denying the ease with which we can all play with friends and new friends alike online, in comparison.
The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near. A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour! #MarioKartTour Releasing in the fiscal year ending in March 2019. pic.twitter.com/8GIyR7ZM4z
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 1, 2018
Nintendo made the announcement on Twitter stating that we will be able to get hold of the game at some point in this fiscal year, which means Mario Kart Tour will release sometime before March 2019. That's a pretty vague date, but shows that it's nearing completion at least.
Kotaku does suggest that we'll no doubt see microtransactions brought into the game -- since it's on mobile -- and that Nintendo will no doubt have learned from Super Mario Run's relatively steep pricing in making the base game free to play. How do you guys feel about paying for karts, tracks and characters?
