Since launch, the absence of multiplayer in Mario Kart Tour has been more than a little perplexing. We kinda always knew it was coming, but for an MK game to launch with such an integral feature missing was still enough to draw the ire of certain fans.
Now, however, Nintendo has announced over on Twitter that the game will be getting a multiplayer beta in December. The only problem? It's exclusive to Gold Pass subscribers…
A real-time multiplayer beta test is planned for December and will be available to #MarioKartTour Gold Pass subscribers.
— Mario Kart Tour (@mariokarttourEN) November 1, 2019
Stay tuned here for more details coming soon. pic.twitter.com/xNIdJE44cI
Yeah, that totally sucks, but it's also to be expected. I mean, the Gold Pass as it stands is incredibly light on value, so it only makes sense for Nintendo to use anything and everything to get a few more players on board and paying that $5 a month.
The response to the announcement has been unsurprisingly negative, with the usual assortment of SpongeBob and Thanos memes being deployed by players to convey their disapproval. That said, multiplayer with no doubt eventually be made available to all, so this is very much a temporary gating-off of content.
If you're just starting out, Pocket Gamer, our sister site, has racked up almost 14k friend codes for you. And if you're yet to take it for a spin, you'll find Mario Kart Tour available for download now from both the App Store and Google Play.
