Nintendo to gut Mario Kart Tour of grubby gacha elements Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Nintendo to gut Mario Kart Tour of grubby gacha elements Pipe down. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Published on 2 Sep 2022 19 comments After two years of operation, Nintendo has decided to scrub Mario Kart Tour of its gacha-like elements. Nintendo's smartphone version of Mario Kart currently allows you to dump currency into an in-game warp pipe in exchange for randomised rewards, such as characters and karts. This will soon be replaced by a Fortnite-style rotating item shop, where you can exchange currency for items directly. Watch on YouTube Digital Foundry analyses the latest Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC tracks, many of which are taken from Mario Kart Tour. Nintendo confirmed the change this morning via Twitter and gave more details in an in-game message for Mario Kart Tour players, which stated these changes would arrive early next month, on 4th October. Mario Kart Tour's previously-datamined Battle Mode will arrive slightly before then, in late September. The removal of gacha elements from Mario Kart Tour marks a major shift from Nintendo, which has infested its most lucrative mobile games with gacha mechanics. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp lets users spend money on fortune cookies with random items inside, while Fire Emblem Heroes lets you splash out on randomised characters for your party. Mario Kart Tour's warp pipe gacha in action. Nintendo did not comment further on its decision to remove randomised purchases, though this shift away from lootbox-style mechanics has been seen elsewhere in the video games industry. While lucrative, lootbox or gacha-style mechanics have caught the eye of numerous governments and regulators, concerned around gambling. Blizzard recently detailed how it would remove paid-for loot boxes from Overwatch, and run a straightforward in-game item shop and battle pass system in Overwatch 2. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 7 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store