Mario Kart Tour might not be banking the same amount of money as titles like Pokémon GO, but for a mobile racing game, it's still been quite successful.
The last major sales update in April last year, revealed Tour had surpassed 200 million in downloads and $200 million in player spending since releasing in 2019. Now, Sensor Tower (via GamesIndustry.biz) has shared some new stats. Tour has now generated an estimated amount of $293 million USD for Nintendo.
This not only includes purchases on the gacha mechanic - where players fire off a pipe to unlock a new item or character - but also takes into account earnings from monthly Gold Pass subscriptions (priced at $4.99 USD).
While all of this is seemingly easy money for Nintendo, last week the Japanese company announced it would be removing the gacha elements and replacing these in-game mechanics with a 'Spotlight Shop' next month on 4th October.
This new in-game store will remove the random element, but will still feature the monestisation aspects. Gold Pass subscriptions will also still be available for players to purchase.
Have you ever spent money in Mario Kart Tour? What do you think about the removal of the gacha mechanic? Comment below.
[source gamesindustry.biz, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 25
I don't want gacha to leave, there's nothing more satisfaying than pulling a pipe and get a gold one with a rare object in it.
Curious to see how much revenue Mario Kart Tour earns once the gacha elements are removed.
That is a lot of a cabbage - but a fraction of what the cart has brought in - without development in perpetuity.
options to be weighed.
Question : Have you ever spent money in Mario Kart Tour?
Me : NEVER !
I don't play mobile games.
I like the game for what it is, but the monetization aspect is weirdly implemented. All features are way too expensive. 20 euro’s for one character, one car and some rubies? If they would have made that 2 euro (you know, MICRO transaction I would have bought way more stuff and would have spent more in total. Same with the gold pass: I’d bet that 2 euro per month would have net more in total than 5 euro per month.
Though I play it, I really don’t see the point of spending money on the game. There are so many characters, karts and gliders that you would need to spend a ton of money to get them all and I really haven’t noticed that much a difference in how each one plays. The game is pretty repetitive as well since you will play the same track multiple times.
I misread the headline as “Mario Kart Tour for Mobile Will Now Cost $300 To Play”
That's roughly the equivalent of 5 million $60 consoles games, so not nearly as successful as MK8 with its nearly 50 million copies sold totaling 3 billion dollars(!!), making the console version 10 times more successful than mobile (on paper). This is good news for anyone hoping Nintendo doesn't shift all their titles to F2P in the near future.
That amazes me because my cheap butt has been playing since launch without paying a cent lol. I don’t have everything, but I save up the freebies and usually end up getting the characters I really want.
The gacha can be a blessing when you pull what you’re hoping for early, or a curse when you have to clear the whole pipe to get what you want. It’ll be interesting to see how much new stuff costs when the model shifts. Taking away the luck aspect of it could be good or bad. We’ll see.
Sorta makes me wonder as to why they are removing such money makers unless they are preparing to wind tour down?
I like buying a gold pass from time to time
Not being funny, but when you look at how much money all the "big mobile games" bring in, $300 million for an IP as big and successful as Mario Kart is very modest. I know it's a more unique circumstance due to Nintendo having a full console game on the market too. Tour is undoubtedly a success, but I'd be reluctant to say it's anywhere near reaching the potential - but hear-in lies the challenge for Nintendo when you have to balance mobile and console games of the same IP. Maybe this is the right balance and it's fulfilling the potential?
Would be interesting to see how many people bought Switch/MK8D AFTER playing Tour. And interesting to know how many of those also had never played a MK game prior to Tour.
Imagine actually preferring to be caught in the vicious cycle of an intermittent reinforcement schedule.
Just guessing, but I think I have spent about 20 hours on the game and spent zero dollars. If u play the game enough, you really don’t need to spend anything anymore….
@nocdaes that is a very interesting thought….. how much has the mobile game contributed to sales of MK8D and then also the Switch? I could see this definitely being a factor. Maybe this has turned into an ambassador for Nintendo, the Switch and MK8D.
Kind of undeserved for such an awful game (sorry but controlling Mario Kart with a touch screen is dire!)
I can't get into this game and I love mario kart. I'm surprised it's made so much money
@valharian
I hope you someday achieve something greater than getting a prize from a Skinner box.
It continues to sadden me to watch my favorite hobby slowly become a casino.
@Anti-Matter Wish it were possible to love a comment a thousand times. (: Mobile games are a cancer in this industry.
they r getting rid of the gacha and ppl r still bitching any chance they get, what an echochamber
@valharian ... And nothing more horrifying than realizing you spent hundreds for pixels
@sunny63 You can play and enjoy the game perfectly without spending a cent
I'm absolutely enjoying the Tour courses in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Congrats on the success. 😎
@valharian Hm, fair point.
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