One of Nintendo’s most popular franchises is finally getting the mobile treatment more than 20 years after it first pitted players against one another on the race course.
Nintendo announced on Twitter on Wednesday that Mario Kart will be turned into a mobile game alongside confirmation that Mario will eventually appear on the big screen. Like the movie, little is known about the Mario Kart game, called Mario Kart Tour, apart from the title, logo, and the general release date. Nintendo said that the game will come out “in the fiscal year ending in March 2019,” which means that Mario Kart Tour could be released anytime between April 2018 and March 2019.
The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near. A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour! #MarioKartTour Releasing in the fiscal year ending in March 2019. pic.twitter.com/8GIyR7ZM4z
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 1, 2018
Nintendo has rapidly expanded into mobile gaming in the past few years on top of investing in new systems like the Nintendo Switch, which has already surpassed the lifetime sales of the Wii U. It’s already found success in mobile versions of existing properties such as the launch of Super Mario Run in late 2016 and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp with a rumored Legend of Zelda game in the works.
With little known about the game, it’s unclear what a mobile Mario Kart game will look like or how much of it will be restricted to in-app purchases. But we imagine that if it includes Rainbow Road—Mario Kart’s most infamous course—it’ll be just as difficult on our phones as it is on our TV screens.
H/T The Verge