Nintendo has announced that Dr. Mario World is shutting down in the near future, meaning the chance to be treated by baby doctors will be taken away in the not too distant future.
According to an official announcement on the Nintendo Website, Dr. Mario World will see its last patients on November 1st, 2021. In addition to this announcement, Nintendo also notes that the premium diamond currency will no longer be available as of July 28th, 2021 for purchase.
Dr. Mario World was launched in July of 2019, and plays like a classic version of the popular NES puzzler Dr. Mario, where you must match three similar-looking viruses with a pill capsule. The game was developed by Nintendo EPD, with help from NHN Entertainment and Line Corporation. As a mobile puzzle matching game, the classic Dr. Mario-based play fit right in alongside Candy Crush and other casual games. There was also a premium currency that can be bought with real-world money to speed up your in-game timer, as well as accessing new characters and abilities, power-ups, and bonus pill capsules.
Though the mobile game is going to be shut down, Nintendo notes that players will be able to look back at their play history in Dr. Mario World Memories, a new webpage that will be set up by Nintendo after the game's service ends.
This is not the first mobile game Nintendo has shut down since entering the mobile games market in 2016. It is, however, the first high-profile game to feature a recognizable character or franchise to cease operations on the mobile app. Currently, Nintendo's most popular title is Fire Emblem: Heroes, which is Nintendo's highest-grossing mobile game worldwide with over $600 million gross revenue. Nintendo's collaborations with The Pokemon Company have led to massive successes with most notably, Pokemon GO, one of the most popular mobile games in the market today.
This success is something Nintendo likely hopes to recreate with the recently released Pokemon Unite, despite the game featuring more pay-to-win options than it should.