Anticipated Mario Kart Smartphone Delayed until the Summer

Nintendo’s newest highly anticipated releases, Mario Kart Tour, has been delayed in Japan until the summer. Currently, it hasn’t been announced if this will affect the United States release date.

This is the second game that Nintendo has recently announced an extended release date for, and both being highly anticipated in the mobile market. Both Mario Kart Tour and Metroid Prime 4 releases have been extended, with Metroid getting a full reboot in the process. Nintendo cites that these extensions are due to the desire “to improve quality of the application and expand the content offerings after launch.”

This isn’t Nintendo’s first mobile excursion though. They’ve been at the forefront of transitioning from the console to the mobile gaming market. With their success in other mobile platforms, more recently with the 3DS and the Switch, it’s no surprise that smartphones and tablets were the next on the list.

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

Other mobile games for this powerhouse have been, Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and the less successful Miitomo Social. Most of them have come out with overall good reviews, and it seems that Nintendo has been able to reach their goals of creating mobile games that maintain a lasting impact and play styles. This is one of the reasons they’re taking a second look at the two upcoming games. By “extending the content offerings,” they aim to extend the playability of the games themselves.

If you enjoy any of these titles and long for more, the Wall Street Journal reported last year that Nintendo a Legend of Zelda mobile title in the pipeline. They have yet to announce anything beyond that yet.