Mario Kart Tour could be the mobile monster that the video game giant Nintendo needs



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More than four years after a notable entry into the mobile game, the industry giant, Nintendo Co., remains privately owned by a smartphone monster. But the wait can finally be over.

The launch of Mario Kart Tour, scheduled this summer, has attracted the attention of players since its announcement in early 2018. The franchise is not only one of the most popular series of video games racing, it is considered the Nintendo's most appropriate title to smartphone terms controls, opportunities to generate user revenue and features likely to hang mobile players.

But investors remain cautious, given Nintendo's uneven track record in mobile and the fact that Tour had already been delayed once. That's why most Wall Street analysts have excluded it from their earnings estimates for this year, leaving plenty of positive potential. If the game were to become a success, this could be the key to maintaining the rally of stocks by 32% this year.

Although the company has not yet released a single screenshot of the game, Bloomberg News was awarded a place in a closed beta test that began Tuesday. After putting the title to the test, here are our first impressions. Generally, not all content is included in beta or evaluation, and game items can be changed before the release of the full version.

Production values

The application tries to capture the experience of a console, with graphics, sound and a refined design. Anyone familiar with the series should feel at home.

The controls have been simplified for a hand on a mobile screen. Runners advance automatically. Users simply have to pull the screen to the left or right to control the direction or press to deploy items. It is well designed and does not interfere with the game.

Most of the popular characters are featured, including Mario, Luigi and even Larry Koopa. The courses are inspired by previous Mario Kart games, and older players will have a lot of nostalgia when they meet Boos on the Luigi's Mansion course or trains running in the Kalimari desert.

Want more?

Super Mario Run, which debuted in 2016, seemed to annoy some users in just a few minutes, but the beta version of Mario Kart Tour offers more content. Players can unlock approximately 50 courses, 30 drivers, 20 karts and 10 gliders. Each comes with bonus zones, progression levels and customization options.

While some players in the beta test seem to be controlled by bots, others seem to be real people. Nintendo refused requests to specify if the bots were part of the beta, but the company should let people race during the official release of the game. The races are getting harder and harder as users unlock faster speeds, which could also prevent players from coming back.

This should be a relief for investors and players, who feared the Tour would be diluted. Nintendo executives said they see mobile games as a way to channel players into buying their Switch console, where they could enjoy a full experience, but that does not seem to be the case with Tour.

Show me the money!

Nintendo started monetizing Mario Kart Tour, an analyst who described this approach as "pretty hardcore".

The content is unlocked by the race, but the game limits users to a handful of races every 15 minutes. This encourages them to pay for more playing time. This should not be too serious for casual gamers, but heavy users will likely have to pay.

In addition, each course gives some characters an advantage that allows them to win more easily. But the characters are unlocked by gacha, a game-like mechanism in which users can not choose their reward. Also known as loot boxes, it encourages players to spend real money for more opportunities to unlock the rider than they wish.

Investors will probably be happy with the heavy silver design, but players have already expressed their dissatisfaction with social media. In particular, the purchase of advantageous drivers places Nintendo in a dangerous territory often called "pay-to-win". Electronic Arts Inc.

All in all, first impressions indicate that Nintendo has the flair. Tour is a well-built mobile game with lots of content to engage players. If Nintendo can tilt the balance of competition, especially by lengthening the learning curve, players could come back.

It has been proven that this formula works well. QQ Speed, a mobile game from Tencent Holdings Ltd. who borrows heavily from the Mario Kart franchise, has reported at least $ 617 million since the end of 2017, according to Randy Nelson, an analyst at Sensor Tower. According to research firm NewZoo, last year, the Mario Kart Tour could bring in $ 1 billion a year.

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