There seems to be a retreat from mobile adaptations of big gaming brands underway. From Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile being shut down to Sony heavily downsizing mobile operations, the gold rush for ambitious big-IP adaptations is declining. And now, Nintendo and Square Enix are following a similar path.
Today, both companies have announced they’re winding down their mobile games Mario Kart Tour and Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis, respectively. Funnily enough, the cut-off dates also line up. The Mario Kart mobile game is going offline on 29th-30th September, and the mission-based take on FF7 is ending service 6th October.
Mario Kart Tour players can no longer buy rubies – the game’s premium currency – or the Gold Pass. On X, some players are already asking for an offline version of the game. It’s a prime example of a delisted game essentially becoming lost media, otherwise, which feels especially relevant after Sony announced it’s ending production of disc-based PlayStation games. Nintendo’s mobile gaming push peaked in October 2019 with MK Tour’s launch, but it’s been on a downward trajectory since.
Less is known about the shutdown of Square Enix’s divisive mobile take on FF7, but it’s been noted that “after careful consideration”, it was deemed difficult to support the game into the future. For reference, Ever Crisis was already facing a slowdown during its second month out, with $20.8m generated in September 2023 and $13.3m the following month. By late 2024, it’d surpassed $100m in gross player spending; 71 percent of revenue came from Japan. Though the totals might look healthy, the game never grew or sustained an enduring community.
However, there’s precedent for Square Enix turning mobile games into premium single-player, more traditional releases like Octopath Traveler 0 and the upcoming Final Fantasy Resonance, so this could indicate similar treatment for Ever Crisis. Its community may be luckier than Mario Kart Tour’s.
Meanwhile, IO Interactive has also quietly confirmed it’s stepping away from mobile devices as it seeks to focus on its core properties after having its partnership with Xbox for Project Fantasy ended, even after launching 007 First Light to great success.
