Mario Kart Tour Removes Gacha Elements

Gacha is always a controversy, and almost every high budget gaming company wants a piece of it. Nintendo is no stranger to the concept either. In the mobile version of the popular game Mario Kart, namely Mario Kart Tour, people could spend the in-game currency “rubies” to buy “pipes” in order to unlock new items. This is no longer the case.

In a recent tweet made by the official Mario Kart Tour Twitter account, the new update will bring about a new Battle mode as well as a new shop where the players can directly purchase new items instead of relying on fate. Before, the players had to pay for a “pipe” that served the function of a treasure chest where they had no clue as to which items they would unlock. Purchasing them individually gives players the freedom to choose, and many people love the update.
 

If it is so controversial, then why do so many games opt to use the element of Gacha instead of letting players choose? Well, according to a report by GameRefinery, the highest grossing games of Japan use this element so much so that “it has been estimated that over half of the revenue generated by these games comes from Gacha.” Gacha is essentially gambling: It is addictive, and after spending almost half of your wallet, it becomes rewarding. Furthermore, according to a report by Wired, 60% of buyers feel remorse after making their Gacha purchases.

The removal of “pipes” in Mario Kart Tour was received mostly positively, with so many players rejoicing the fact that another game is being freed from Gacha hell.  “It’s about time,” said one player in response to the tweet. “I am back to playing Mario Kart Tour,” said another. Though many people are happy about this removal, there are still some people who mention that they already play so many other Gacha games like Genshin Impact and Arknights, so this change will not affect them greatly.
 

Yagmur Sevinc (@yagmursevvinc)
Editor, NoobFeed