Nintendo Ends Mario Kart Tour and Switch Sales Shift in Europe

Nintendo is winding down Mario Kart Tour. The mobile game’s service will officially end on September 30. Specifically, the shutdown happens September 29 at 11:00 p.m. PT, which is September 30 at 8:00 a.m. CEST.

Players can no longer buy the game’s digital currency. Nintendo has also stopped auto-renewals and new subscriptions for the Gold Pass. Those who still have a paid subscription can access most Gold Pass content until the shutdown. Starting August 5 at 2 a.m., everyone can try Gold Pass benefits for free. Nintendo stopped adding new content to Mario Kart Tour back in late 2023.

Switch Sales End in Europe, New Battery Rules Arrive

In a related move, Nintendo will stop selling the original Switch in Europe next February. This change comes as a response to new European Union rules. The regulations require devices to have batteries that users can easily replace. Nintendo will continue making Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED models through 2026. But from early 2027, the company won’t sell these devices to retailers or directly through the Nintendo Store in certain markets.

Nintendo plans to phase out some existing product versions. They want to replace them with models that have user-replaceable batteries. This includes the upcoming Switch 2. The new model’s battery capacity will be slightly smaller, dropping from 5220mAh to 5172mAh, about a 1% reduction. The Switch 2 will weigh around 10 grams more than the current model. Each new Joy-Con controller will add roughly 2 grams, making the total weight about 548 grams.

Joy-Con controllers with swappable batteries will start arriving in stores as early as this summer. Accessories and Switch 2 controllers with replaceable batteries will launch in the winter. Nintendo will also phase out some peripherals like the Switch Pro Controller, Sega Mega Drive controllers, SNES controllers for Switch, and Pokémon Go Plus+.

Switch Sales and Software Performance

Sales of the Switch hardware peaked at nearly 29 million units worldwide in the 2021 fiscal year. Software sales reached over 235 million units the following year. This makes the Switch’s peak later than other Nintendo portables like the 3DS and Wii. By its ninth full fiscal year, the Switch shipped 3.8 million units, about 13% of its peak sales. Software sales remain strong, with nearly 137 million pieces sold last year. That is roughly 58% of its peak software sales.

Switch software sales have proven more resilient than other Nintendo portables. No recent Nintendo home console has stayed dominant as long as the Switch has. The Switch 2 sold nearly 20 million units in its first fiscal year. That outpaced the original Switch’s nearly 4 million units sold in 2026. Still, Switch software sales outpace the Switch 2 at nearly 3 to 1. Many developers continue to make games for the original Switch when they don’t need the latest power.

The Switch 2 costs about $500, roughly 63% more than the $340 original base model. Despite the newer console, many buyers keep picking up the original Switch. Some expect new purchases to continue into 2029 or 2030. This happens even as the Switch 2 approaches its fifth birthday.

Studio Changes and Industry Trends

In other industry news, IO Interactive regained ownership of their game Project Fantasy. However, the studio will close its Istanbul office and part ways with some staff. This follows layoffs tied to a “finance partnership” ending on the project.

Nintendo and Sony are both adjusting to changing market conditions. Sony will stop producing physical PlayStation game discs by January 2028. Nintendo’s moves around Switch hardware and software reflect both evolving technology and new regulations. Gamers should prepare for the end of Mario Kart Tour and shifting hardware options in Europe soon.

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