Mario Kart 9 Leak Reveals New Racers
Time your buttons for that starting line boost because it sounds like Mario Kart 9 is getting ready to race its way into our lives. As the overall-wearing plumber, Princess Peach, Luigi, Bowser, and all the race battle for the gold cup, the seemingly dormant racing series is poised to make a major comeback.
From the sprite-filled days of Super Mario Kart in 1992 through to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch, it's been a long Rainbow Road to where we are today. Still, with Deluxe being the best-selling Switch game of all time (let that sink in) it's clear there's plenty of tread left on the tyres.
What's The Mario Kart 9 Racer Leak?
According to Nintendo leaker Zippo, Mario Kart 9 will take the Super Smash Bros. route by expanding its IP horizons. Aside from Link and a few creepy-looking Mii characters, most Mario Kart racers are from the Mario franchise or its very near cousins. Now, Zippo claims more major Nintendo franchises are crossing the border.
On their site, Zippo says that the Star Fox, Pikmin, and ARMS will all have their characters as playable racers in Mario Kart 9. While we might be holding out hope for Kirby, Pikachu, and Captain Falcon, it doesn't look like they're on the way yet.
If Nintendo is opening the doors to a Smash-style crossover, we could see the money-making potential of a Mario Kart Racers Pass. Everyone from Banjo and Kazooie to Kingdom Hearts' Sora made their mark on Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it helped keep the game fresh from 2018 until last October.
Could We See Even More Racers In Mario Kart 9?
While Smash has always made the reveal of its DLC fighters something of an event, Mario Kart has largely relied on the content of the game to keep its player base happy. Then again, Mario Kart Tour has kept up an impressive roadmap of new courses, racers, and themes, so this could've been a testing ground for the main MK series.
Interestingly, Zippo's musings go against recent reports that we'll skip Mario Kart 9 in favour of Mario Kart 10, something called Crossroads. LeakyPandy says Nintendo classes Home Circuity as Mario Kart 9, meaning the next entry is the 10th in the mainline series. It's unclear whether both leakers are talking about the same title here, but either way, it sounds like Mario Kart won't be taking a pit stop for much longer.