It has been five years since a new console Mario Kart game was released, and technically, eight years since an original console Mario Kart game was made. The gap between Mario Kart 8, including Deluxe, and the hypothetical Mario Kart 9 will be the largest in the series, beating the time it took for Mario Kart 64 to come out after Super Mario Kart. Now that Mario Kart 9 is allegedly in development with a “surprise feature,” fans are discussing the possible directions this new installment could take. Although Mario Kart was historically dominant in the kart racing genre, and arguably its founding father, it would not hurt for Nintendo to take inspiration from other kart racers, most notably, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled.