With another Nintendo Direct showcase likely to occur this September, due to historical precedent and recent rumors, people are speculating about what big titles Nintendo may announce. One rather huge Nintendo series, Mario Kart, hasn’t technically had a new entry since 2014. We’ve been racing in Mario Kart 8 for over seven years, the longest break between games in the series’ history. It seems especially long compared to the more recent iterations, which typically only had three or so years between them. Should Nintendo release Mario Kart 9 for the Switch?

While there hasn’t been a new traditional Mario Kart game since 2014, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, an updated port of the Wii U game, came out for the Switch in 2017. In addition, while they may not be considered mainline games, Mario Kart Tour, a 2019 mobile game, and Mario Kart Line: Home Circuit, the 2020 unique AR toy experience, have been released in the last few years. So it’s far from true that there hasn’t been any new Mario Kart content at all in the last seven years. Nonetheless, these games provide either only small upgrades, or very different experiences, and fall short of being a new, conventional Mario Kart.

There are plenty of arguments against Nintendo releasing Mario Kart 9 for the Switch. As stated above, there has been new Mario Kart content for those who want it. Dropping two mainline Mario Kart games on one system has never been done before, and it could cause a schism in the player base. It might be a tough sell to a parent or casual player without some big hook. And most importantly, Nintendo has very little incentive to rush a new Mario Kart out for the Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to sell very well. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best selling game for the system and has sold over 37M units. The game just recently reached the mark of sold over 4M in Japan alone. It continues to top charts. It was the fourth best selling game in the United States in July of 2021 according to the NPD, and that doesn’t include digital sales. Nintendo continues to make money off of this evergreen title, and they may not see good reason to release a new game.

On the flip side, assuming even just a quarter of the folks who bought Mario Kart 8 Deluxe decide to pick up its sequel (and given the sales history of this series, that seems to be a conservative estimate), Nintendo could move a lot of units by pushing out its 9th installment. Mario Kart is one of the biggest franchises in games, and with the Switch doing so well and becoming a household name, it would be a big seller. Many gamers who have moved on from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would likely return for Mario Kart 9, and the player base could be even bigger than it currently is. Nintendo doesn’t need to mess with the formula, but new modes, gameplay innovations, or new characters could reinvigorate the franchise and, with such a large number of Switch owners, make Mario Kart 9 the best selling Mario Kart game ever.

Even though Nintendo hasn’t previously put out two big Mario Kart games for one console or handheld, they have publicly stated they want the lifespan of the Switch to be longer than the standard five or six years–meaning a successor wouldn’t arrive until 2023 at the very earliest, and possibly much later. Finally, the Nintendo Switch is both a handheld and home console. Previously, Nintendo would alternate releasing Mario Kart games on handheld and home console every few years, but we are in a new era. 

Personally, I’m not sure if Nintendo will put out Mario Kart 9 for the Switch soon, although I do think it’s possible they will before the end of the Switch era. The upcoming release of Splatoon 3 seems to point toward that possibility. I think with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe selling as well as it is, they may be holding onto and polishing Mario Kart 9, just waiting for those sales to dip.

What about you? Do you think Mario Kart 9 is coming soon, or will we have to wait until the next Nintendo console? Let us know your thoughts below, in the comments, or join the Boss Rush Discord and be part of the conversation there.

SOURCES: Nintendo, Siliconera, Mat Piscatella (NPD), GamesIndustry.Biz

IMAGE SOURCE: Nintendo