Triple Announcements from Nintendo

In the past 16 hours or so, Nintendo has made no less than three major announcements. Firstly, Nintendo Online for the Nintendo Switch will launch in September of 2018. Secondly Mario Kart Tour will launch for mobile in “the fiscal year ending in March 2019.” And finally, Nintendo is partnering up with Illumination to make a Mario movie.

Nintendo announced the news in three back-to-back tweets on the American Nintendo twitter.

#NintendoSwitch Online will launch in September 2018! pic.twitter.com/h3Rpeyymsx

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 1, 2018

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

Nintendo and Illumination are partnering on a movie starring Mario, co-produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Meledandri! pic.twitter.com/wVRPLIzcGJ

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 1, 2018

The online service will allow for online play, as well as an official app that facilitates friend invites and voice chat. The choice to make voice-chat app based and separate from the games themselves is a bit odd, but I guess we will see how it goes in September. The online service will cost $3.99 for one month (before tax) and more information can be found here.

Not much is known about Mario Kart Tour, other than its mobile platform. Can we expect something like the infinite runner Mario Run, a traditional racing game or something else entirely?
Nintendo only describes it as a “mobile application”, but the subtitle “Tour” does bring to mind thoughts of ongoing games in the vein of King’s Candy Crush “Saga.”

As for the upcoming Mario movie, well it’s equally vague. Illumination, though, is known for their work on Despicable Me (and by extension the minions) and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. We can only hope that this upcoming animation is a more successful adaption than 1993’s live action Super Mario Bros.