Image: Nintendo
It could be announced as soon as this year
A new Mario Kart game is reportedly on the way, and this time Mario may have a few new tricks up his sleeve. According to Serkan Toto, an analyst with Kantan Games, Mario Kart 9 is in “active development” and will come with a “new twist.” He shared his comments as part of an article on 2022 gaming predictions for Gamesindustry.biz.
Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 on Wii U in 2014 which was updated with additional content to bring us Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch. In 2019, Nintendo also launched Mario Kart Tour for mobile devices, but the franchise has been relatively quiet since then.
A new Mario Kart seems like a no-brainer, given how well the series has sold for Nintendo. Mario Kart has been the bestselling game on Nintendo 3DS, Wii (with the exception of pack-in Wii Sports), Wii U, and Nintendo Switch, selling more than 100 million copies across those platforms, according to Nintendo’s sales data.
As for what the “new twist” for Mario Kart 9 would be, Toto didn’t comment further. However, Nintendo has done its fair share of tinkering with Mario Kart and its other racing games. In 2020, Nintendo released Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit which allowed fans to race real-life Mario Kart toys in their living rooms. Nintendo also released Nintendo Labo for the Switch which brought its own cardboard racing peripheral that was compatible with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
As for timing, Toto predicted that Nintendo could tease the game as early as this year. So it looks like we might not be waiting all that long for the next Mario Kart announcement.
