Nintendo plans Switch subscription service, Mario Kart mobile game

Nintendo announced plans to launch an online subscription gaming service for its Switch console from September. Launched last March, the portable Switch platform passed 10 million units sold worldwide in December. Nintendo said the holiday sales exceeded expectations and it has since passed 13 million units sold. 

Nintendo also confirmed that it will continue to release mobile games, in an effort to exploit synergies with its video console business and generate a new revenue source. Super Mario Run has already passed 200 million downloads and attracts some 20 million monthly users. In the coming fiscal year to March 2019, the company plans to release a smartphone game for the Mario Kart franchise, called Mario Kart Tour.