Despite reports to the contrary, one industry insider claims that Mario Kart 9 is currently in development at Nintendo. The beloved kart racing series’ latest entry, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, released for the Nintendo Switch back in 2017. A recent Nintendo Direct event announced that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC will add 48 remastered courses from past series installments, with this massive Booster Course Pass apparently squashing hopes for a full-blown Mario Kart 9.

Since its original launch on the Wii U in 2014, Mario Kart 8 has been a widely beloved modern installment in one of Nintendo’s oldest franchises. While the series’ signature aggressive racing has been maintained, the eighth entry introduced unique new features like anti-gravity and new items like the defensive Super Horn. Over time Nintendo has supported Mario Kart 8 with downloadable content, adding new tracks and characters, and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe rerelease made improvements to the original version’s Battle Mode. Rumors of a Mario Kart 9 release date announcement have seemingly been proven false by Mario Kart 8’s Booster Course Pass reveal, with the DLC essentially serving as a sequel.

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According to industry insider Zippo, Mario Kart 9 is still in development despite continued post-launch support of Mario Kart 8. In a blog post discussing February’s Nintendo Direct, Zippo expresses surprise at the reveal of the Booster Course Pass. However, after the event the leaker apparently learned that the DLC is being made by Bandai Namco rather than Nintendo. The gaming juggernaut is still actively working on Mario Kart 9, Zippo claims, while Bandai supports the previous installment with remastered courses.

Mario Kart 8 has consistently ranked as one of Nintendo’s most successful titles, with both versions jointly serving as one of the best-selling games of all time. This makes continued support a no-brainer, though some fans consider the new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC to be lazy. 48 courses is a truly colossal amount of new content, but Zippo and other fans point out that these track are mere remasters rather than entirely new levels to explore. Even with improved textures, the courses may fail to fit the established aesthetic of Mario Kart 8.

While many fans feel that Mario Kart 8 DLC crashed their chances at Mario Kart 9, Zippo affirms that the kart racing series’ next installment is in the works. If the insider is correct, Bandai Namco may be creating the Booster Course Pass to hold fans over while Nintendo works on a full sequel. While this information is completely unconfirmed, the claims do bode well for those interested in an entirely new Mario Kart experience.

Mario Kart 8 is available on Wii U and Nintendo Switch.

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Source: Zippo

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Thomas McNulty
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Thomas McNulty is an avid reader, writer, game player and movie watcher from New Jersey. Movies, TV shows, video games, books and pop culture are personal passions, and he is thrilled to be writing about those topics that are so near and dear. If someone has a story to tell, they should be able to tell it. He is committed to delivering accuracy with every article and staying true to his voice.

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