Nintendo news round-up: Switch Online service starts September, animated Mario film in the works, Mario Kart coming to mobile

---

Nintendo have revealed the release window for the Switch’s paid subscription service, along with news of another mobile game and plans for an animated movie starring everyone’s favourite plumber.

---

by Liam Andrews

​@pass_controller

---

Until September, when the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service begins, Switch users can enjoy the console’s premium online services for free, such as online multiplayer and making use of the system’s dedicated smartphone app, which is used to enable party chat. This will be the first Nintendo console to charge for such a service and will cost $3.99/€3.99 a month, $7.99/€7.99 for 3 months, or $19.99/€19.99 for the entire year.

Those who subscribe to the Switch’s online service will be granted access to a select number of free games every month, much like the Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus premium subscription services found on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

The games featured will be classic Nintendo titles, like Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight and Dr. Mario, only with added features, such as online multiplayer and leaderboards. These free games will only be available to download and play for one month before being rotated out for a new set of titles.

Other big Nintendo news for the day saw the publisher announce plans to bring another of their classic franchises to smartphones, following earlier mobile iterations of Fire Emblem, Super Mario and Animal Crossing.

Mario Kart Tour, as the name suggests, will see the iconic racing series featuring Mario and co. make the move to mobile, though Nintendo shared no information about the game other than its title and the fact it will release sometime before March 2019.

Lastly, Nintendo have confirmed they’re partnering with Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind the Minions, Despicable Me and The Secret Lives of Pets movies, to create an animated film about Mario.

This will be the first feature length starring the moustachioed plumber since the infamous Super Mario Bros. hit the big screen in the early 90s. Once again, details were a little thin on the ground, but we did learn Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination Entertainment CEO, Chris Meledandri, will both be co-producing the film.

​Let us know your thoughts on all of today’s Nintendo news below or in the forums.

Comment on the forums