Nintendo, the developer and publisher of the "Mario Kart" video game series, recently announced that the franchise's first mobile game version, "Mario Kart Tour," is in development.
In a Twitter post on Jan. 31, Nintendo America announced the development of the upcoming game. Nintendo also mentioned that "Mario Kart Tour" will release in the "fiscal year ending in March 2019" — meaning the game may launch from April 2018 to March 2019. The announcement for the new game came following Nintendo's confirmation on the fate of first social networking application, Miitomo. Nintendo confirmed that all services related to Miitomo will shut down on May 9.
Nintendo has yet to release further information about the upcoming game, so fans have been guessing what will be the theme of "Mario Kart Tour." PC Gamer speculates that "Mario Kart Tour" will feature battles in circuits from different locations all around the world, much like the other games in the franchise. Furthermore, PC Gamer believes that the title "Mario Kart Tour" alludes to an online multiplayer gameplay option.
"Mario Kart" is one of the most successful Nintendo video game franchises. It is a go-kart-style racing video game with the goal of winning as many races as one possibly can to accumulate bragging rights. The first game released for the series was the "Super Mario Kart" in 1992. The latest title, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," came out on Nintendo Switch in April 2017. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," as reported The Verge, has sold 7.33 million copies to date.
"Mario Kart Tour" will join Nintendo's other mobile games which include "Super Mario Run," "Fire Emblem Heroes" and "Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp." In May last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Nintendo was developing a mobile game version of "The Legend of Zelda." Nintendo has yet to give an official announcement on the matter.
