One of Nintendo's oldest Mario games are officially coming to an end. Mario Kart Tour will shut down permanently later this year, giving players just a few more months to compete before the game's online service goes offline for good. And unfortunately, there don't seem to be any new ways to play Mario Kart Tour then.
Originally released in 2019, Mario Kart Tour brought Nintendo's racing franchise to iOS and Android with touch controls, rotating rides, collector drivers, maps and gliders, plus tracks inspired by real-life cities and classic Mario Kart courses. Major content updates ended some time ago, but the game remained playable and continued to support its online features, making this the true end of the mobile-exclusive racer.
Mario Kart Tour is on its final run
After a brief period of speculation, Nintendo has now officially announced and confirmed it Mario Kart Tour will end on September 29 at 11:00 PM PT (September 30 in some regions). Ahead of that shutdown, the company has already begun phasing out the game's premium services, listing them all in an FAQ for fans:
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Ruby sales have ended immediately.
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Existing rubies can still be spent until the servers shut down.
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New Gold Pass subscriptions and automatic renewals have been discontinued.
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Players with an active Gold Pass will retain most benefits for free until the service ends, while players without a subscription will receive most Gold Pass benefits for free starting with the August 4th Vacation Tour.
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Nintendo also confirmed that eligible players who purchased unused paid rubies will be able to request refunds after the service ends, although free rubies and any paid currency that has already been spent are not eligible. The company says additional details about refunds and account management will be shared closer to the shutdown. Unlike Animal Crossing: Pocket Campwhich eventually got an offline replacement in the form of Pocket Camp completeNintendo has not announced an offline version or sequel for Mario Kart Tour. When the servers go offline, the game will no longer be playable in its current form.
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Image via Nintendo -
Image: Nintendo via GameRant
Video game shutdowns have become an increasingly common reality, especially for live service and mobile games that rely on online servers to operate. While Mario Kart Tour had a much longer lifespan than many games in the genre, its closure is another reminder that even successful releases eventually reach an end point. For long-time players, it marks the loss of years of progress, collections and memories, not to mention any other form of personal investment. And for anyone who never got to try it, the opportunity to experience Nintendo's mobile racer is quickly running out.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the wrapper while scraping off as little foil as possible.
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After nearly seven years on mobile devices, Mario Kart Tour preparing to cross the finish line. While players still have until the end of September to spend their rubies, claim Gold Pass perks and race through their collection of Mario Kart track, Nintendo has now confirmed that the countdown to the game's permanent suspension has officially begun.
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September 25, 2019
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e
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Nintendo EPD
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Nintendo
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