After originally announcing Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo ended up delaying it to improve the quality of the game. After a bit of radio silence for the upcoming mobile game, Nintendo opened up closed beta applications for the game ahead of its release this Summer. This closed beta will run from May 22nd until June 4th in 2 countries.
The closed beta sign ups are now live here for android devices only. You can sign up if you are in Japan or USA. It is pretty disappointing to see Nintendo still treat Europe which is such a big market badly on the mobile front. The sign ups are live from now until May 7th. There will be no in app purchases during the closed beta.
Super Mario Run wasn’t even remotely close to being as successful as Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Heroes or even Dragalia Lost that continues to improve and do well. Don’t expect a premium one time unlock or paid release for when Mario Kart hits the App Store. We will likely have a dedicated Nintendo Direct for it as we get closer to the release showcasing the game. Are you excited for a mobile Mario Kart game?
It might be a fun experience to play one or two matches or races here or there, but with any F2P elements I’m sure I’ll get tired of it quicker than MARIO Run.
I hope that this will support MFi controller and that the graphics rival those of Mario Kart 8 because the devices are capable. But hey, we are all allowed to dream right !? I know this won’t be the case.
Am I excited for a mobile Mario Kart? I love Mario Kart and the idea sounds incredible. Is it going to be F2P rubbish that tosses fun out the window in favor of expansive point grinding, needy time constraints, and quality of life improvements tied to spending money and getting a leg up on other players instead of competing in grounds of skill?
If the later, it can rot.
I would happily pay $30, if not more, for something along the lines of a true Mario Kart experience.
Agree with comments here that consumable IAPs and timers, etc, would be a turn off. But Nintendo is smart. They know the value of this IP, and I expect they will go to lengths to uphold its positive reputation.
If they learn from Fortnite and others who have succeeded with very limited IAP and no ads, this could take off. Fortnite succeeds on pure scale by providing accessibility and fun. Mario Kart could have that kind of accessibility and fun, and that could create a huge player base. With that kind of scale you only need a small percentage of users spending money to make big bucks.
I’m optimistic on this one.