Mario Kart is one of Nintendo’s most beloved series, which is impressive considering it spun off from the franchise that is considered to be both the face of Nintendo and video games as a whole. Ever since Super Mario Kart came out in 1992, Mario Kart became a series fans expect to see a new installment released every time Nintendo puts out a new system. Aside from updated versions of previous systems like the Game Boy Advance SP and the DSi, the only Nintendo console to not get a Mario Kart game was the Virtual Boy. The Switch is the only technical exception, since the Mario Kart on Switch is a re-release of Mario Kart 8, originally released on Wii U.
That being said, as soon as rumors about Mario Kart 9 started spreading, the February 9 Nintendo Direct possibly crushed hopes of such a game actually being in development. For the first time since it ported Mario Kart 8 to the Switch, Nintendo will add content to the game. Indeed, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will get a set of downloadable waves of tracks. By the time the wave ends, there will be 48 new tracks in total. Considering how massive this new DLC is, this spells bad news for Mario Kart 9.
Mario Kart 9 Rumors
Fans have been wanting a new Mario Kart game for a long time. When Deluxe came out, the original version of Mario Kart 8 was still fresh in people’s memory, but Deluxe’s addition of exclusive characters (Bowser Jr., King Boo, Dry Bones) and the entire DLC as part of the base game made the original Mario Kart 8 obsolete. Despite how bloated with content the game is, and the potential additional features that could be added, Nintendo never went back to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Indeed, the recently announced “Booster Course Pass” is the first new Mario Kart content in five years, excluding the Mario Kart Tour mobile game.
Nintendo appears to be learning from what it did with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s DLC. Rather than releasing all the tracks at the same time and potentially overwhelm the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe player base, Nintendo is releasing new cups through "waves." The DLC will only be fully released in around a year after the first wave comes out. This allows players to fully experience the currently released tracks before getting new content, while Nintendo can internalize any sort of feedback and make the DLC, as well as the overall game, even better.
The overwhelming number of new tracks that will be part of this DLC is the main reason why Mario Kart 9 is as unlikely to happen as ever. With this DLC, the number of tracks in Mario Kart 8 will have effectively doubled. With every other game in the series planning to be represented, this DLC will be an opportunity to introduce Mario Kart Tour tracks to unfamiliar players, as well as modernize older tracks. As shown in the reveal trailer, classic courses that have already been remastered are fair game, just like in the base Mario Kart 8.
Nevertheless, this is an opportunity for Nintendo to revisit tracks that have never reappeared after their introduction. Double Dash’s Wario Colosseum and Wii’s Toad Factory are prime examples of solid tracks that never returned to Mario Kart games following their debut. If it wants to be as effective as possible, the DLC will likely bring back the few popular tracks that are left to be remastered. This makes Mario Kart 9 even less of a possibility, because remastered versions of older tracks have been a selling point since Mario Kart DS. If Mario Kart 8 Deluxe decides to just empty the list of one-time tracks, then Mario Kart 9 would be redundant.
Considering the sheer number of tracks that are being remastered, in addition to the possibility of characters being added to the roster, Mario Kart 8 could shape up to be the series’ equivalent to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Mario Kart 9’s existence wouldn't make sense in the wake of this reveal, and so those rumors may be unfounded.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now on Nintendo Switch, with the Booster Course Pass launching on March 18, 2022.
