There’s a game that has managed to break through the walls of hardcore gaming and become part of popular culture. Phrases like “You get hit by a shell” or “Watch out for the banana” are notably popular on any road trip worth its salt. Now, ‘Mario Kart‘ is concluding its latest major project, ‘Mario Kart Tour,’ perhaps paving the way for that long-awaited ninth installment for the Nintendo Switch… or its successor.
Luigi wins!
Since ‘Mario Kart Tour’ was launched on September 25, 2019, it has received all sorts of free updates every fifteen days, constantly changing the game to prevent it from becoming stagnant. Among the extra tracks, we’ve had locations like Madrid, Rome, and Athens, among other places we never thought we’d see invaded by Goombas and other Mushroom Kingdom creatures.
So, there are two tours left: the anniversary tour starting on November 20, and the battle tour starting on October 4. After that, they will begin to replay the best tours, starting with a special Halloween tour. Additionally, ‘Mario Kart Tour’ will abandon the gacha game model and sell items in a dedicated in-game store.
Not all of Nintendo’s attempts to conquer the mobile game market have been successful, that’s for sure. Titles like ‘Miitomo,’ ‘Dragalia Lost,’ or ‘Dr. Mario World’ no longer receive updates, and since 2021, Nintendo hasn’t tried its luck with a new mobile game release. During that time, they released ‘Pikmin Bloom,’ a kind of ‘Pokémon Go‘ spinoff based on the popular Nintendo game, but it hasn’t had much impact.
It’s possible that the Japanese company has decided to focus on what truly works for them, console titles, or that they are simply regrouping to come back with a ‘Mario Kart Tour 2’ or a similar application. After all, who can resist the idea of driving a kart with Yoshi through Madrid‘s Plaza Mayor?
