10 Reasons Nintendo Have Us WORRIED

10. We Might Never Get A Mario Kart 9

Nintendo's success with Mario Kart 8 in 2014 on Wii U led to its bigger, better, Switch-ier edition in 2017. This masterful port grew sales from a limited 8.46 million to a mind-boggling 52 million.

Back in February 2022, MK8 Deluxe introduced the longest-running, most hotly-anticipated waves of DLC since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With nigh-on 100 tracks and (now) new characters in Wave 4 and beyond, the DLC run won't end until December 2023. Alongside that, The Super Mario Bros. Movie trailers have put Rainbow Road front-and-centre, with Nintendo no doubt hoping to sell more Mario Kart to cinemagoers.

What does this mean for the future of Mario Kart? Will MK8 Deluxe be the definitive version of Mario Kart, following Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Minecraft as a base game getting perpetual updates?

Only time will tell. And if so, we might not even see a Mario Kart 9.

Mario Kart 8 is a great game, but only in a full-blown sequel could we see improvements to the gameplay, and other significant and exciting additions to the Mario Kart formula. Being stuck with Mario Kart 8 in perpetuity would be a missed opportunity.