The Switch is a wonderful console, isn’t it? Regardless of your opinions of how good its performance is, or how good games look on it, we can all agree that its ability to turn current games into portable experiences is just amazing. Whether it’s playing The Witcher 3 on the train, or bringing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to a party, it brings so many options to the table for having fun on the go.
It’s unsurprising for that very reason that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is currently the highest selling Switch game of all time (and the most sold boxed game in the UK at the end of last year). What’s better than portable Mario Kart? I’ll tell you what would be - a new one. Because we’ve had Deluxe since 2017, which even then, was an enhanced port of the Wii U version released in 2014. So, you know, it’s been a hot minute since we had a completely new instalment.
What would happen if you took to the streets as Mario in real life? This, apparently. Check it out below...
Well, according to one industry analyst, that could be about to change. Dr. Serkan Toto, the CEO of Tokyo-based game industry consultancy, Kantan Games said to GamesIndustry.biz: “I am aware Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still selling very well on the Nintendo Switch, but Mario Kart 9 is in active development (and comes with a new twist) and Nintendo could tease it this year.”
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He added: “On mobile, Nintendo has been very silent since Mario Kart Tour's launch in 2019, but I think 2022 is when we will see an established IP arriving on smart devices again.”
To say that a new Mario Kart game will be coming with a twist is not only vague, but is also kind of a given - it’s pretty established that new instalments bring fresh gimmicks in their wake, be it 8’s addition of anti-gravity, or Wii’s introduction of bikes. At this point, who knows what sort of mix-up it'll bring to the table, but let’s face it, it’s Nintendo we’re talking about. It’ll almost certainly be something creative.
Nintendo is already set to have a stellar year, with Pokémon Legends: Arceus arriving later this month, the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the way, and others like Splatoon 3 and Kirby and the Forgotten Land set to release this year too. Mario Kart 9 would be the icing on top of an already very delicious cake, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Featured Image Credit: NintendoTopics: Mario Kart, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Mario