Mario Kart Tour off to Tokyo tomorrow, Rainbow Road and Rosalina incoming
New York items on the way out.
Mario Kart Tour is saying farewell New York and hello Tokyo tomorrow, as Nintendo's microtransaction-laden mobile racer's globe-trotting adventure rumbles on.
When Mario Kart Tour's Tokyo leg begins tomorrow, 9th October, at 7am BST in the UK (or tonight at 11pm PDT), it will introduce a brand-new track inspired by the Japanese city. That's accompanied by new Tour Spotlight Items, including a Japan-themed Mario variant, which replace Nintendo's current New-York-themed set.
Alongside those limited-time elements, Mario Kart Tour will also receive a new racer and a classic series track as part of its Tokyo update. Joining the character line-up is no-nonsense space princess Rosalina, while everybody's favourite undulating, multi-coloured death highway, Rainbow Road, expands the track roster.
Despite its messy proliferation of microtransaction mechanics, in-game currencies, and unlock systems - not to mention a bizarre £5 monthly subscription offering that awards a paltry selection of exclusive cosmetics - Mario Kart Tour has done rather well for itself.
Within a week of its September launch, the racer had been downloaded by more than 90 million people on iOS and Android - and generated over £10.2m - making it Nintendo's biggest smartphone launch by quite some margin.