When we think of Nintendo, games as a service are rarely something that comes to mind; however, the Japanese company also has some experiences of this nature in its portfolio. Sadly for fans, one of the most popular Mario titles is no longer available and has become completely unplayable.

The video game in question was a multiplayer experience that could be downloaded for free, so it built a large community over time. Unfortunately, it is now impossible to play, despite being a major success and generating multimillion-dollar profits for those responsible for it.

Mario Kart Tour cierre servidores

Mario Kart Tour Shuts Down Its Servers and Becomes Unplayable Forever

Of course, the game we are referring to is Mario Kart Tour, a spin-off of the famous racing franchise that debuted in September 2019. It is likely that many people were unaware of its existence, as it debuted exclusively for iOS and Android mobile devices and never received a port for Nintendo Switch.

This installment received mixed reviews from some fans, as some complained about the tracks and, primarily, the monetization model. As a free-to-play game, the experience was packed with microtransactions that allowed players to unlock characters and cosmetic items.

Although it is clearly far from being the best installment in the franchise, Mario Kart Tour managed to build a large user base over the years and became one of Nintendo’s longest-running free games. Unfortunately, it is now completely unplayable.

It was in early July when the Japanese company announced the definitive shutdown of this spin-off. At the time, it thanked the community for its support, but did not reveal why it had decided to shut down the servers forever.

They say there is no date that does not arrive and no deadline that does not come due. The deadline to play Mario Kart Tour was September 29, 2026, which means that it is no longer available today in the digital stores for mobile devices. Players who try to log in will encounter an error message.

The game’s official account addressed the situation and, through a series of posts, shared screenshots of all the tracks that made up the free-to-play collection. The post also includes a thank-you message for all the players who tried the title before the shutdown.

“The many statistics we examined show how much time you spent with Mario Kart Tour. Thank you for supporting the game over these last 7 years!” reads the statement. And as expected, fans reacted with sadness in the comments section.

Despite the community’s requests, Nintendo never released an offline version of the spin-off or a console port.

Mario Kart Tour cancelado

Mario Kart Tour Was a Commercial Success, But It Had Problems

Although the reasons behind the server shutdown remain unknown, it is likely that everything comes down to a simple matter of revenue and profitability. Mario Kart Tour launched in September 2019, and estimates from AppMagic reveal that it was downloaded 14.7 million times within 24 hours.

According to reports, the free mobile game was downloaded 54 million times during its first week on the market, a figure that increased to 81.8 million one month later. It is believed to have accumulated a total of 276 million downloads throughout its lifetime.

That would translate into nearly $300 million USD in revenue. According to estimates, it generated approximately $268.5 million USD in total for Nintendo.

The problem, however, is that Mario Kart Tour lost momentum as the months went by. According to reports, the game generated between $5 and $6 million USD per month during most of 2020 and 2021, but revenue dropped by approximately half starting in 2022.

Nintendo removed the controversial gacha mechanic that allowed players to unlock new characters in 2022, which accelerated the decline in microtransaction revenue. The game reportedly generated only $650,000 USD per month when the Japanese company announced its shutdown in early July.

In the end, Mario Kart Tour had 267 playable characters (including alternate versions), 340 vehicles, 238 gliders, and 546 tracks. It is one of the largest games in the kart racing franchise in history.