Four years after launching, Nintendo has now confirmed that there will no longer be new content updates for Mario Kart Tour, the mobile game spin-off of the best-selling franchise.
In a message to players, developer DeNA and publisher Nintendo confirmed that after the September 20 update, Anniversary Tour, all future seasons will simply cycle through content from past tours.
No new courses, drivers, karts, or gliders will be added following the Battle Tour starting 04/10/2023. We hope you continue to enjoy playing Mario Kart Tour.”
DeNA and Nintendo
This news comes at an ironic time, potentially hinting at the release of the final Wave 6 for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass. Many of the new tracks introduced by this DLC have been ports from Mario Kart Tour.
Just like when Nintendo canceled its hit action RPG, Dragalia Lost, back in November 2022, the cessation of new content for Mario Kart Tour demonstrates the company’s lessening focus on mobile titles.
Mario Kart Tour is a mobile spin-off of the Mario Kart series, officially licensed by Nintendo and initially released in late 2019 for iOS and Android devices. It became Nintendo’s second biggest earner for this category of gaming, succeeding Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp by bringing in around $243 million.
In comparison to other major publishers like Take-Two and Activision, whose mobile games encompass over 50% of their annual revenues, the platform only makes up a small percentage of Nintendo’s earnings since its foray into this sub-industry back in 2016.
Despite ending support for five of the eight mobile games it has released, Nintendo continues to put major effort into Fire Emblem Heroes (2017), its most successful title in this category.
According to data published by Mobilegamer.biz, Fire Emblem Heroes has brought in $810 million of the approximately $1.5 billion it has earned for mobile titles. Fire Emblem, in particular, is estimated to be pulling in around $5 million per month.