Nintendo's development of the upcoming game Mario Kart Tour is still underway. As of now, Android users can participate in its closed beta testing phase.
Nintendo made the announcement on the game's official website stating that it is accepting applications for closed beta test participants.
Notably, the beta test is currently limited to Android devices. Its purpose is to determine what currently works in the game as opposed to what doesn't, and ensure that a proper game gets shipped out on the actual release date.
Mario Kart Tour Beta Test Objective
Nintendo also made it clear that the testing phase is intended to improve the overall quality of the game. Those who are interested can indeed apply to become one of the game's beta testers, but the final list of selected participants will be cut down to an arbitrary number as deemed appropriate.
The beta test application schedule is open for at least one more week and a half, as it runs from April 23 to May 7. Meanwhile, the actual schedule of the beta testing is set to begin on May 22 and will last until June 4.
Only those who are residing in either the United States or Japan will be accepted by Nintendo for now. While this beta testing phase is meant for the Android platform, some Android-powered devices are excluded. What these are exactly hasn't been specified.
Arrival Of The Final Game
Once the beta testing wraps up, the launch date of the game may finally be close. Based on the company's most recent earnings statement, Mario Kart Tour is scheduled for release sometime in summer 2019.
"In the mobile business, we have plans to release Dr. Mario World and Mario Kart Tour," said Nintendo. "In addition, we will strive to expand the business by ensuring that more consumers can continue to enjoy the applications we've released already."
Mario Kart Tour, which was first announced in early 2018, is slated to become the first entry for the long-running Mario Kart game franchise on mobile. Although it was expected to come out in March of this year, it was pushed back to its now-tentative release date this summer.
In this day and age of countless battle royale clones and tower defense rip-offs with slightly tweaked characters and backgrounds, the arrival of an iconic title like Mario Kart Tour could add a little bit more life to mobile gaming. However, it still remains to be seen whether old and new fans alike end up falling in love with its final form on mobile.
