Mario Kart Tour was not only positively received when it was released. On the one hand, because it is a mobile game. On the other hand, because Nintendo relies on the typical microtransactions for financing. These now seem to bother a player particularly strongly, because he is now even suing the developers, since he believes that the possibilities for real money investments are “immoral” in nature.
For a long time, Nintendo was considered “the good guy” when it came to microtransactions and other questionable financing models. This reputation has crumbled a bit in recent years, with Mario Kart Tour in particular making some fans angry. The mobile game doesn’t do much differently than other representatives of its guild.
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In the fun racer you could purchase so-called “spotlight pipes” that provided you with in-game rewards. As is typical for Lootbox, the system was largely opaque when it came to chances of winning. In September 2022, Nintendo took its consequences from the negative feedback and removed the mechanics. You can now purchase items directly from the in-game shop.
However, one Mario Kart Tour player seems to have not finished with the microtransactions and considers them downright “immoral”. At least that’s what his lawsuit against Nintendo, which he has now filed, suggests. Refunds are requested for all underage Americans who invested real money in Super Mario Kart.
The reason: Nintendo intentionally designed the game in such a way that it would hardly be playable without using the tubes. To do this, it used “dark patterns”, code for the practice of subtly encouraging players to spend more money. He fell into the trap himself and invested around 170 euros with his father’s credit card. He might not have been very enthusiastic about the billing.
We dare to doubt whether the lawsuit will actually succeed. At least in this form, it is unlikely to be waved through. But let’s wait, it wouldn’t be the first surprising verdict in the US.
Here is the launch trailer for the release of Mario Kart Tour on mobile platforms.
