This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021.

Mario Kart Tour may have stalled on the starting grid yesterday thanks to some server issues, but that hasn’t stopped it claiming the top spot on the podium.

According to mobile market analyst Sensor Tower, Nintendo’s mobile racer was the number one free app on Apple’s App Store in 58 countries, including Japan and the US. In terms of revenue, that success translated into a 19th position on the charts. Not bad considering Nintendo’s previous mobile effort Dr. Mario World topped out at 503.

It makes sense this being a Mario Kart title and all, though it still didn’t outperform the behemoth that is Fire Emblem Heroes - that game peaking at 17 when it launched in February 2017.

The revenue success is likely down to the pretty aggressive microtransactions Nintendo have attached to the game, including a $5/£5 subscription that locks away certain features such as the 200cc mode.

How are you finding Mario Kart Tour? Have you put any money into it yet? Let us know down in the comments.

Source: Venture Beat