By Luca Newton
Ever since the Nintendo Switch released, a big debate has been whether Mario Kart 9 will make its way to Switch anytime soon, or if it won't even be on the Switch..
Mario Kart 8 came out on the Wii U in 2014, around 7 years ago, and was followed by a deluxe port 4 years later. It's now been 4 years since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe released on the Nintendo Switch. Within those 4 years, there has been a constant debate on whether Mario Kart 9 will come out on the Switch anytime soon. Here's why I think it will..
Why Mario Kart 9 Will Happen Despite What People Say Against It..
Many say that there is only ever 1 Mario Kart entry per system, and that they used Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as "the Nintendo Switch Mario Kart". This means that there simply can't be another Mario Kart for the Switch. But this logic can loophole pretty easily. Like, is it really a new Mario Kart if it's just an enhanced port based on the last console's game? We've never had a port of another Mario Kart game, so does that count to the overall rule of one per console if it technically isn't one. Additionally, it seems pretty stupid to restrict yourself of a new Mario Kart because they release that they've technically made one already and they have to only have one. I don't think whether or not Mario Kart 9 is on the Switch comes down to them already having Deluxe on there. In addition, a game like Splatoon, which was assumed to be on per system, is getting 2 entirely new games on the Switch, where Mario Kart 8 Deluxe wasn't even a new game.
Furthermore, people say that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's ludicrously successful sales, that are still ongoing, as the single best selling Switch game of all time, would prevent Nintendo from wanting to release a brand new entry and stop those sales. This, also, makes very little sense to me, and the logic behind it seems to be flipped in different situations for these people. I mean, sure if they release Mario Kart 9, that gives people less incentive to buy Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, thus taking sales away from it. However, it's not like if they stop getting sales on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, they'll stop getting tons of money. The new game will almost certainly sell incredibly well, and maybe with the fresh new game approach, it generates more hype, which means plenty more money for Nintendo. In addition, 8 Deluxe will not just stop selling anyway, that game will probably still sell regardless. At the same rate? No, but still definitely will. I mean, remember that Mario Kart Wii still sells. Furthermore, when ARMS sold well but not as good as a Splatoon, people said it sold too little to get a sequel, but since it was moderately successful, and could potentially get a sequel, people say it sold too little to get a sequel. So does a game need to only hit a middle point between too little and too much to be deemed likely for a sequel?
This one is pretty dumb, but some people legitimately come up to me and say "um well technically Mario Kart Tour is Mario Kart 9". I wanna just say that me saying Mario Kart 9 is literally just a placeholder name for the next console Mario Kart, I do not give a shit if Mario Kart Tour is Mario Kart 9, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is technically Mario Kart 10 so I should be saying Mario Kart 11. It is completely irrelevant to my entire argument, and it's just wasting my time. And no, Tour isn't replacing the next mainline Mario Kart game, none of these Nintendo apps ever do that.
In spite of all of that, I truly believe that Mario Kart 9 will happen. It's more of a matter of time. Mario Kart is Nintendo's most profitable first party franchise, and each new game has a huge demographic of fans and casual gamers who would get excited by a Mario Kart 9. The team behind Mario Kart's last major game was ARMS, 4 years ago in 2017. They haven't released a game since. This makes a brand new Mario Kart almost inevitable at any time, because unless they're making ARMS 2, they can only be making Mario Kart 9.
How Can Mario Kart 9 Coexist With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe..
As I touched upon earlier, a lot of people have concern over if Mario Kart 9 would work with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe already on the Switch. While I did say that I didn't think it would prevent them, I do think they would be conscious that 2 games on the same series were on the same system, and work around that to make sure that the games can coexist. As also said earlier, I think they'll want to separate the image of both to make sure both can sell simultaneously and the new game doesn't feel redundant.
What will they do to give us that distinction? Well I'd say it's actually pretty simple. While they definitely have to keep the multiplayer content, I think Mario Kart 9 would probably focus more on the singleplayer content as the new content. Stuff like a detailed story mode, and other bits of side content, like the DS' Mission Mode. Also you could add a hub world to practice tricks and connect all the modes in a different way than menus. That can overall make the game feel naturally bigger and filled with more content. Besides that, you just add a lot of new tracks, characters and maybe even manage to make the game look prettier than 8 Deluxe does already. If you focus on the stuff that 8 is missing, you can make Mario Kart 9 a different focus where Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is emphasising the multiplayer and co-op.
I don't know for sure if Mario Kart 9 will come to Switch, but if I had to bet anything on it, I'd say it's more likely than not. We could see it next year for sure. What do you think?
Thanks for reading.
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