Highlights
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's success has led to the release of an expansion pack, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, which adds 40 new tracks to the game, including remastered versions of classic maps.
- The Booster Course Pass has made Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a hub for past entries in the franchise, but it also leaves Mario Kart 9 in a challenging position. The sequel can either continue the same model or introduce completely new and original tracks.
- Opting for completely new tracks and a fresh start for the franchise would be an exciting and innovative move for Mario Kart 9, giving players a unique experience with new mechanics, items, karts, and drivers.
The best-selling Nintendo Switch game of all time, and the second best-selling Nintendo game ever released, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has proven that the kart racing franchise still has plenty of life left in it. While Mario Kart has always sold well on just about every console it's been on, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an unprecedented success for the company, and it's only natural that Nintendo wanted to keep squeezing as much life out of it as possible before moving on to the next project.
Enter the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, an ongoing expansion pack that continues to add new tracks and racers to the game, years after its initial release. For just $25, or for free with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, players will have immediate access to 40 tracks, most of which are remastered versions of iconic maps taken from across the Mario Kart series. But with so many classic tracks now being in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it paves the way for a sequel to go in a completely new direction.
Mario Kart 9 Should Have Only New Tracks At Launch
The general model for Mario Kart over the last decade or so has seen a new game release with both a handful of new tracks and a good few classic tracks that have been remastered. Mario Kart 8 was no different when it first launched, with a total of 16 completely new tracks, and 16 remastered ones, pulling courses from across the entire history of Mario Kart, with tracks coming from GameCube, SNES, and Wii entries.
But with the addition of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, Nintendo has really gone above and beyond. As well as five completely new tracks, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass has added a total of 35 remastered courses. While previous games in the series have gathered the most beloved tracks from across the franchise, the Booster Course Pass really dives deep, bringing out even some of the lesser-known tracks from less popular titles like Mario Kart Tour or the GBA game Mario Kart: Super Circuit. And there are still another eight tracks that are left to come. Simply put, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has now become a hub for past entries, in a similar vein to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which leaves Mario Kart 9 in an interesting position.
In theory, Mario Kart 9 has only really two options in front of it. The first of these options is to just continue using the same model that Mario Kart has been using for a decade, adding a plethora of new tracks alongside some remastered classics. But Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has left the well a little dry, and Mario Kart 9 might be scraping the barrel for some classic tracks that haven't yet been remastered. And if Mario Kart 9 just brought over the same maps used in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, that might feel very cheap.
But the other option, and the much more exciting of the two, is for Mario Kart 9 to be something completely new. Mario Kart 9 should only have completely new and original tracks, all built from the ground up specifically for it. Nintendo could even use this originality as the game's core selling point, marketing Mario Kart 9 as a fresh new start for the franchise like no one has ever seen before. This marketing could even extend into the game's actual mechanics, paving the way for some new gimmicks, new items, new karts, and new drivers. When Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has already completed the original formula, it's time for Mario Kart 9 to do something brand-new.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now for Nintendo Switch.
