The Mario Kart series has been always been one of Nintendo's most profitable and highest-selling. The Switch entry into the franchise is no different. Although Animal Crossing: New Horizons is hot on its heels, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling Nintendo Switch game to date. However, it may be time for a new entry into the beloved racing series, and there are a few reasons to believe that Mario Kart 9 would thrive if released in the near future.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is technically a port of the Wii U title, albeit one with some new features, modes, and more. The game also released in April 2017 as a launch window title for the Switch. The real driving force behind a new Mario Kart title could be the idea that a new Nintendo Switch Pro may be on the way, according to recent rumors and reports. With Nintendo not having yet developed a Mario Kart game from the ground up for the Switch, and Nintendo perhaps releasing a Pro console in the near future, now may be the perfect time to launch Mario Kart 9.
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Details about the new Switch Pro have been trickling out day after day. If true, the upgraded console could be larger, have an upgraded OLED screen, be higher resolution (possibly 4K), and be more powerful internally. The system may also have an ethernet connection and a better kickstand as well, according to some other rumors.
Leaks say that the "Super Switch" will be revealed in just a few days, perhaps even this Thursday. The console would then be sold to consumers in the late Summer early Fall. Interestingly, the reports claim that the original 2017 Nintendo Switch will be phased out and the new Switch Pro will replace it. However, the Switch Lite will remain, making the Nintendo Pro and Lite a perfect one-two punch. Mario Kart 9 could, in theory, mirror this idea by replacing 2017's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe soon after the launch of the Switch Pro.
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Although Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U was seen as a well-received entry, and the Deluxe version on the Switch is the best-selling racing game of all time, Nintendo has not rested on its laurels in the Mario Kart department over the past few years. In fact, Nintendo has been creative and aggressive with the plumpy plumber's racing series, and it could use some of those fresh ideas on Mario Kart 9.
Mario Kart Tour released on September 25, 2019, and has been a success for Nintendo. The mobile Mario Kart game has been downloaded over 200 million times and earned Nintendo over $200 million in revenue in its first 18 months. To help earn said revenue, the game has various microtransactions, a Gold Pass subscription, Premium Challenges, and the like. Additionally, Nintendo keeps the game fresh with rotational events/Tours with new content (the type of things that it could attempt to do with Mario Kart 9).
Meanwhile, Nintendo's Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (which released in October of 2020) is the perfect example of the Japanese company's unique creativity. The extended trailer of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit shows everything that a player needs to know about this enticing technology. Fans can create their own course at home in a living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc., and then live out a Mario Kart dream on a Nintendo Switch via augmented reality.
The final product is much deeper than one may think initially, as the game allows players to not only create courses and compete at home on the Switch in AR, but it also allows for unlocks aplenty. Players can progress through Grand Prix challenges in different themes across various stages, and more. A brilliant idea would be to take the course creation principle and apply it to Mario Kart 9, something many fans would be very exciting about.
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Nintendo has been far from silent when it comes to the Mario Kart series over the past few years. However, when it comes to a proper mainline Mario Kart game on a home console, however, it has been seven years since Mario Kart 8 launched on the Wii U. It is time for Mario Kart 9.
According to rumors, the pre-orders for the Switch Pro will go live soon. While there's a slim chance of that happening, it is exciting to imagine Mario Kart 9 on a more powerful Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is already a gorgeous game on Nintendo's hybrid console, a less graphically impressive console than its competitors. Nintendo is great at getting all the juice out of its consoles thanks in part to art style and brilliant design. Players could still have fun playing Mario Kart 9 on the Switch Lite, but being able to play the same game with a higher frame rate, 4K resolution, and more on the brand new Switch Pro would be very thrilling.
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The new Mario Kart title could also attempt to do things entirely different, like a story mode. Mario Kart 9 could try an adventure mode, a la Diddy Kong Racing. Thanks in part to the power of the Switch Pro, Mario Kart 9 could go "open world" in terms of its campaign. The standard layout of Grand Prix and unlocks have worked for plenty of games in the series, but something unique and new may be a nice direction for the franchise.
Another wonderful idea would be for Mario Kart 9 to have a course creator. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit saw remarkable creations, as Nintendo fans were able to set up kooky creations throughout their house. However, that imagination should not be limited to one's living room. Nintendo should give fans the tools to make their own Rainbow Road, Waluigi Pinball, or Royal Raceway — very similarly to Nintendo giving fans the keys to The Mushroom Kingdom with Mario Maker.
Thanks to the possibility of the Switch Pro being on the way, the Nintendo Switch could soon become the highest-selling video game console of all time. And with over 35 million copies sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling Switch game. Nintendo would be wise to release another Mario Kart game on the Switch, specifically on the Switch Pro if the rumors are true, to continue its Mario Kart dominance.