Nintendo has officially announced the closure of operations of the popular mobile game Mario Kart Tour, with the shutdown scheduled for September 30th. Launched seven years ago, the game, which had already started its reduced support process in 2023, is now preparing to leave the mobile gaming scene permanently.
Unlike other company titles, such as Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, there are no plans from Nintendo to make an offline version of Mario Kart Tour available. This means that, after the established deadline, the game will stop working completely for all users.
What will happen to player support and benefits?
The Japanese company reported that the deactivation of Mario Kart Tour will occur on specific dates for different time zones. Nintendo stated: “Mario Kart Tour game service will end on September 29th at 11pm (PT) / September 30th at 8am (CEST). We thank you for your support over the years. For information on how rubies and the Mario Kart Tour Gold Pass will be handled going forward, please see the in-game notifications or FAQs below.”
Players who have a paid Gold Pass subscription will continue to have free access to most of the pass’s content, with the exception of “continuous subscription benefits”, until the game’s definitive closing date.
Details on the use of rubies and the Golden Pass
From August 5th, all other users will be able to enjoy these same Gold Pass benefits at no additional cost. In addition, the sale of rubies was previously suspended, however, those already purchased can still be used in featured and Mii pilot costume stores until the end of service operations.
This outcome for Mario Kart Tour was already expected by the public and the gaming industry. In recent years, Nintendo has stopped launching new mobile titles directly related to the Super Mario universe, a move that signals a reorientation of the company’s strategy in the mobile games segment.
