Your favourite Nintendo game is now coming to smartphones

The race tracks frequented by Maria, Princess Peach and Toad have come from the Super Nintendo console to the mobile Nintendo Switch and are now on their way to your smartphone. — Nintendo/dpa

For over two decades, gamers have been taking Super Mario and his brother Luigi out for a spin in wild car chases – but only on consoles. Now, Nintendo is breaking with years of tradition and is bringing the much-loved Mario Kart to smartphones.

Still, fans will have to be a little patient, as Nintendo has only set a release date of late March 2019 for the game.

Nintendo has long insisted that its games are only available for use on its own consoles. But the rise of smartphones has forced the traditional Japanese company to change its views. A smartphone version of Super Mario was downloaded over 200 million times and has over 20 million monthly active users, according to Nintendo.

With the success of its new Switch console, Nintendo was able to leave behind its crisis of the past few years. The company has lifted sales forecasts for the device from 14 to 15 million for the fiscal year ending in March.

Still, even though the Switch can be used on the go as well as in front of the TV, Nintendo still wants to hold onto its older mobile console, the 3DS, as Nintendo boss Tatsumi Kimishima emphasised. That console should now be marketed as a device for those with a lighter wallet.

Nintendo is also making a new effort to bring its beloved characters to the cinema. A Super Mario animation film is being developed with Illumination, the studio behind the Minions franchise. A date has not yet been set for the film’s release. The previous Super Mario film from 1993 with human actors was widely panned by critics. — dpa