How Mario Kart 9 became Nintendo's biggest problem for Switch 2

Mario Kart has been on a hot streak (Nintendo)

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been Nintendo’s golden goose for the Switch generation, but what can a sequel do to reach the same heights?

When Mario Kart 8 launched in 2014 on the Wii U, few would have guessed we’d still be playing the same game over 10 years later. The Nintendo Switch has given countless neglected Wii U games a second wind, but with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – aslightly updated version with all the original DLC included – it felt as if Nintendo had achieved peak kart racer.

If you go by sales, it certainly is. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold over 64.27 million copies since it launched in April 2017; with the Wii U version added on the total is 72.73 million. It’s the best-selling Switch game by a considerable margin, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons well behind at 46.45 million.

Mario Kart is usually at the top when it comes to software sales for each Nintendo system, but even in the history of the series, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a towering anomaly. Its 3DS predecessor, Mario Kart 7, sold 18.99 million units, while Mario Kart Wii, the best selling game on the system if you don’t include Wii Sports, sold 37.38 million – just over half of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s numbers so far.

The Switch’s longevity is a key reason for these numbers, but it’s also reflective of Mario Kart 8’s quality. The crisp visuals are timeless, the rich orchestral soundtrack is exceptional, and now there are 96 tracks in total, thanks to new DLC – including some of the best courses from throughout the series’ history.

Its lengthy lifespan has turned it into Mario Kart’s greatest hits, but with such an all-encompassing package, where does that leave the inevitable sequel?

Nintendo hasn’t confirmed another Mario Kart is in development, but it is a certainty given the company’s history and the success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The Switch is an outlier in that it’s the first Nintendo console, outside of the Game Boy, to go without a new Mario Kart game during its lifetime. So in that sense Mario Kart 9 is not only inevitable, it’s overdue.

Whatever Mario Kart 9 ends up being, the next console’s backwards compatibility means it will still have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe looming over it. Nintendo will need to provide some very clear reasons as to why anyone would want to buy a new Mario Kart when they can just play the old one they already have.

Leaked specs for the Switch 2 suggest it’ll be as or more powerful than the PlayStation 4, but at a time when visual upgrades have become little more than miniscule boosts in resolutions, it’s hard to see a future entry relying on graphical improvements as its main selling point.

So what can it offer? Mario Kart titles have historically differentiated themselves with gimmicks or additions based on the hardware’s capabilities. Mario Kart 8 boasted anti-gravity, Mario Kart: Double Dash stuck two drivers behind the wheel, Mario Kart Wii utilised motion controls, while Mario Kart 64 introduced 3D graphics.

The next entry will likely be tied to a specific feature of the Switch 2, but if leaks are to be believed the next system won’t be a drastic overhaul in terms of its overall design. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s big hook was big budget Mario Kart on the move, but now that novelty has become the norm.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — Nintendo Kart has already happened, kind of (Nintendo)

Many fans have often called for a broader ‘Nintendo Kart’ akin to Super Smash Bros. (another Nintendo franchise that seems to have maxed out everything that it’s possible to do with a sequel) and while more crossover tracks like Hyrule Castle feel like a shoe-in, it isn’t exactly a big selling point when Zelda, Splatoon, and Animal Crossing characters are already in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – not to mention tracks based on F-Zero and Excitebike.

Admittedly, not every game in the series has offered a seismic shift (hello, Mario Kart 7) but with such a behemoth sharing the same console space, it’s going to take something significant to make Mario Kart 9 as enticing a proposition as its predecessor.

The answer to Mario Kart’s future could, however, be hiding in plain sight. Nintendo has conducted mysterious playtests for an unknown game with a massively multiplayer online (MMO) framework, and while that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Mario Kart per se, it does suggest a renewed interest in significant online modes for its games.

Splatoon already has an online plaza where you can customise your character and engage with others, so an expansion of that idea for the Mushroom Kingdom, or across all of the company’s IP in something similar to Nintendo Land, could help to make Mario Kart 9 seem more distinct.

If Mario Kart has become a sensation because of its party game reputation, the next step might be global, appointment viewing events. During the Switch’s lifespan, there have been online exclusive games which have played with the battle royale format, including Tetris 99, Super Mario Bros. 35, and recently F-Zero 99. It’s easy to imagine this framework being applied to Mario Kart or other limited time modes, similar to how Fortnite and other live service games work.

How appealing an online-focused Mario Kart would be to casual players is another matter, but it would be a meaningful evolution of the series, and perhaps establish Nintendo’s online plans for its next console – the one area where the company has trailed far behind its competitors.

There are clearly other ways in which Mario Kart can evolve its concept at a more trivial level – Mario Kart 7, for example, threw in hand gliders and underwater sections – but the success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe feels like it’s painted Nintendo into a corner which demands a substantial overhaul to overcome.

When you’ve perfected the formula with one of the best racing games ever made, it’s going to take more than a few tweaks to mirror the same success on Switch 2.