Nintendo has announced that Mario Kart Tour will receive a multiplayer beta session next month, and it will be open for the game’s Gold Pass subscribers only (via Eurogamer).
Mario Kart Tour is the latest game to come from the collaboration of Nintendo and DeNA. The daring duo have also delivered mobile games like Miitomo, Super Mario Run, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and Pokémon Masters. Earlier this year, development was delayed on the game as Nintendo decided to focus on ‘improv[ing] quality of the application and expand[ing] content offerings after launch.’
A real-time multiplayer beta test is planned for December and will be available to #MarioKartTour Gold Pass subscribers.
Stay tuned here for more details coming soon. pic.twitter.com/xNIdJE44cI— Mario Kart Tour (@mariokarttourEN) November 1, 2019
Many players expected multiplayer karting from launch, in much the same fashion as the previous eight installments in the Mario Kart series. Confusingly, the mobile Mario Kart didn’t include an online PvP feature from the get-go and players were promised it would come in a future update. Now, Nintendo has announced that a multiplayer beta will arrive in December but only for those on the Gold Pass subscription.
Details were not shared on the start date nor the duration of the beta, or whether the beta will be opened up for non-subscribers. It’s rational to test a new feature with a portion of its players rather than biting off more than Nintendo can chew with all players all at once. But, it’s still a strange choice to leave out online multiplayer at launch when that has been the bread and butter of the series for quite some time.
In addition, the monetisation strategy of Mario Kart Tour has soured some players’ enthusiasm for the game. There are no advertisements in Mario Kart Tour, and the Gold Pass monthly subscription is priced at £4.99. But, in-app purchases support the game by unlocking characters, Karts, and gliders through loot boxes. Nintendo had to disclose the loot box drop rates for its in-game items, and they are abysmal. Players have only a five per cent chance of getting characters like Shy Guy and Baby Mario, and Dry Bowser or the Gold Glider have a shockingly low 0.3 per cent drop rate.
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