Mario Kart 9 could be revealed this year according to industry insider

Mario Kart 9 could be revealed this year according to manufacture insider

(Prototype credit: Nintendo)

There's a certain inevitability about Mario Kart nine. While technically unconfirmed, its predecessor, Mario Kart 8, is one of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games of all time. A follow-up is for all intents and purposes guaranteed.

The proficient news is that kart racing fans may not have long to wait for official confirmation of the existence of Mario Kart 9 either. According to industry annotator Dr. Serkan Toto (via GamesIndustry.biz), Nintendo could be set up to reveal the sequel this twelvemonth.

This news will surely please Mario Kart fanatics who are probably growing a piffling tired of playing Mario Kart 8 as the game is almost eight years erstwhile at this indicate. After all, in that location are merely and so many times yous can outrace your friends and family on the same couple dozen tracks before you crave new courses.

While Toto doesn't put a timeframe on when we can wait a reveal, or hint when the game itself might release, he does state it "comes with a new twist." This isn't particularly surprising, Mario Kart is no stranger to gimmicks designed to shake up the series' traditional formula. Mario Kart 8 introduced anti-gravity tracks, and the previous entry on the Nintendo 3DS added the ability to glide and drive underwater.

Toto works for Kantan Games, a Japanese consultancy firm focused on the video game industry, so there's definitely credibility to these claims. Of class, Nintendo is a notoriously unpredictable company so while a Mario Kart 9 announcement in the well-nigh futurity seems logical, Nintendo often marches to the beat of its own drum — see the reveal of bizarre AR-game Mario Kart Live Home Circuit in 2020 as proof.

The terminal entry in the pop serial, Mario Kart viii, was originally released for the Wii U in 2014 before a Deluxe edition was brought to the Nintendo Switch in April 2017. This Switch edition of the game has become the acknowledged installment in the franchise, moving almost 40m copies as of November 2020. That number will have just increased over the last fourteen months as the game continues to rank high on sales charts.

Curiously, Nintendo has never released two mainline Mario Kart games on a single console. This has led to fan speculation that the side by side fourth dimension Mario and pals get behind the bike of a kart will be on the Switch's successor, but there'due south e'er a showtime time for everything.

In that location are few party games out there equally universally loved as Mario Kart, so a fresh entry would certainly be welcome after all this fourth dimension. Perhaps the announcement of Mario Kart nine will come alongside the reveal of the much-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro?

Rory is a Deals Editor at Tom's Guide based in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. He covers a wide range of topics but with a detail focus on deals, gaming and streaming. When he's not scouring retailers for PS5 restock or writing hot takes on the latest gaming hardware and streaming shows, he can be found attending music festivals and being thoroughly disappointed past his terrible football team.