Looks like the Mushroom Kingdom’s health service has run out of funding, because on November 1st 2021, Nintendo will officially discontinue servers for Dr. Mario World on mobile devices.
Dr. Mario World was a mobile version of the iconic pill-popping puzzle game, featuring multiple playable characters, hundreds of levels, and microtransactions for in-game currency and items.
The news of its cancellation comes as a shock as it’s the first Nintendo mobile game to be officially axed, and one starring its world-famous company mascot no less.
However, while it is the first mobile game to be discontinued it is not technically the 1st Nintendo app to be removed, as the social networking app Miitomo was taken down back in 2018. Coincidentally, both Miitomo and Dr. Mario World have had their cancellations announced shortly after their respective 2 year anniversaries.
As a personal fan and frequent player of the game, the news that Dr. Mario World will soon be no more is disappointing to say the least. Attempting to launch the game past October 31st 2021 will instead result in an ‘End of Service’ Notification appearing, preventing the game from being played further.
This news especially comes as a blow to those who have already invested potentially hundreds of pounds or dollars into the game in order to buy items and characters.
Not at all is lost though, as the End of Service Notice screen does mention a new upcoming web page titled Dr. Mario World Memories where players will be able to look back at their play history. A novel idea, but nothing that actually solves the problem of no longer being able to play the game or utilise the features that some players invested real money into.
Truth be told, the game’s cancellation wasn’t entirely unforeseeable, as a report on Nintendo’s revenue from its mobile game lineup confirms that Dr. Mario World simply wasn’t taking in as many earnings as the likes of Mario Kart Tour or Fire Emblem Heroes.
So while understandable from a business standpoint, it nevertheless is a crushing blow to those who genuinely were fans and paying supporters of the game, especially considering Nintendo’s commitment to being an accessible family-friendly game company.
What does this say about the future of Nintendo’s Mobile Games? Will other games likely see the chop soon too? Did you play Dr. Mario World, and if so, will you miss it? Let us know in the comments below!
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