Nintendo is currently developing a new Mario Kart game, according to an industry analyst.
Matter of fact, it’s said the House of Mario will tease the game sometime this year.
That’s according to Dr. Serkan Toto from consultancy firm Kantan Games which focuses on the Japanese industry.
Speaking with GI.biz, Dr. Toto said that while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still selling very well, Mario Kart 9 is in “active development,” and “comes with a new twist.”
Considering Mario Kart 8 initially came out on Wii U in 2014, a new title in the series being in development shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise – nor should a “new twist” be shocking to you. After all, Mario Kart 8 introduced anti-gravity to the game, allowing players to drive along walls and ceilings. It also added the ability to bump into each other for a short boost.
The best-selling Wii U game was then enhanced for Switch and released as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe back in 2017 with an expanded Battle mode. It too was also a success, becoming the Switch’s best-selling game. Both versions have sold a combined total of more than 47 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling racing game, and one of the best-selling video games of all time.
Nintendo is always one to keep things close and not respond to rumors or speculation, instead, it likes to announce titles when it is ready. It does like to tease on occasion though, so maybe sometime around E3, we might hear something about it. Or, the company could surprise us entirely and drop the news during a Nintendo Direct at some point this year.