Mario Kart Tour ‘breaks mobile game launch record’
iOS and Android racer reported to have been download 10 million times
Mario Kart Tour broke mobile game launch records with more than 10 million downloads accumulated on its first day.
That’s according to data gathered by Apptopia, which claims that Mario Kart Tour broke the previous record set by Niantic’s Pokémon Go, which was downloaded some 6.7 million times at launch.
Nintendo’s previous largest mobile game launch was the iOS-only Super Mario Run, which was downloaded 4.7 million times.
Mario Kart Tour’s launch success is attributed to the popularity of the brand, its significant pre-release marketing, as well as the auto download system for anybody who ‘pre-ordered’ the game.
Mario Kart Tour has achieved the #1 Overall iOS App Store rank in 93 countries.
Apptopia notes that first day downloads are typically not a new release’s largest day, so Mario Kart Tour’s numbers are likely to swell further.
Mario Kart Tour is free to start but includes a number of micro-transaction mechanics including a gacha-like Pipe system for unlocking content, as well as a ‘Gold Pass’ subscription service that lets players unlock more in-game rewards for $4.99/£4.99 per month.
A two-week free trial for Gold Pass is available for each Nintendo account.
Nintendo is expected to introduce online Mario Kart Tour multiplayer in a future update.
