The latest Mario Kart news wasn't quite what fans expected, but it was still remarkable. During the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, it announced Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will get a DLC expansion called the Booster Course Pass. That isn't quite the Mario Kart 9 announcement that fans were hoping for, but the Booster Course Pass still promises to add a huge amount of content to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Over the course of 2022 and 2023, Nintendo will release six waves of eight remastered courses; 48 tracks for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in all. If Mario Kart 9 isn't happening anytime soon, such a big DLC expansion is a good consolation prize.
Still, it's surprising that Nintendo hasn't announced plans to add more drivers to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe alongside its new tracks. While there's plenty of playable characters in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, some notable characters usually found in Mario spin-offs didn't make the cut. What's more, Nintendo has released plenty of new drivers in recent Mario Kart DLCs, so adding more would make sense. The Booster Course Pass looks like a great addition to the game, but it'll be better if Nintendo also has some bonus drivers tucked into its waves.
Potential DLC Drivers for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe roster is big, but that's not necessarily because it has a wide range of characters. It has quite a few duplicates of characters; not only do Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina all have playable baby variants, but Metal Mario, Pink Gold Peach, and Dry Bowser continue the variant trend. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also features all seven Koopalings as distinct drivers, which takes up a lot of space. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe covers the Super Mario character basics, but it sacrifices some other characters who frequent spin-offs like Birdo and Diddy Kong.
The Booster Course Pass would be a great occasion to bring back Birdo, Diddy Kong, and other drivers who missed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. What's more, it could add tons of characters who only joined the franchise after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's debut thanks to Mario Kart Tour. The mobile Mario Kart game has a massive character roster, and many characters make their first Mario Kart appearances there. To name only a few, Pauline, Kamek, Dixie Kong, and Captain Toad were all first added in Tour. Between previous racers and Tour's new faces, there's a lot of characters who could join Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's DLC.
Hope for Mario Kart 8 DLC Characters
For now, it's unclear if there's actually a chance the Booster Course Pass contains additional characters. If Nintendo intended DLC drivers to be a core part of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe expansion, they probably would have been revealed alongside the remastered courses. Still, Nintendo might be planning on surprising subscribers with a group of DLC characters released at various points in the process. Surprise DLC characters would certainly be a good way to create renewed interest in the Booster Course Pass in late 2022 or early 2023.
Even if the Booster Course Pass doesn't include additional characters, Nintendo could always consider adding character packs as individual pieces of DLC, not unlike Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Of course, there would be a negative side to even more Mario Kart DLC: it would be a clear sign that Nintendo isn't in a hurry to make Mario Kart 9, despite recent leaks. The Booster Course Pass is still young, so fans will just have to wait and see how Nintendo handles Mario Kart in the coming months.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now for Nintendo Switch.
