It’s been eight years since the latest proper Mario Kart game was released, Mario Kart 8. Since then, Nintendo fans have gotten Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart Tour on mobile phones, and Mario Kart Live Home Circuit also on the Nintendo Switch. Any self-respecting Mario Kart fan will tell you what they’ve been waiting for though is Mario Kart 9. For years, there was silence on this front, but recently rumors are starting to heat up about the next proper installment in the series. Depending on the rumor, this game is Mario Kart 9 or Mario Kart 10, with the latter rumors claiming that Nintendo views the aforementioned Mario Kart Home: Live Circuit as MK9. Unfortunately, we don’t know what the next installment is going to be called, as there have even been rumors it will be called Mario Kart Crossroads. So, for the purpose of this article, we are simply referring to it as the next Mario Kart game.
According to a prominent industry insider and leaker, Leaky Pandy, the next Mario Kart game will have more than just Mario characters. To this end, the leaker says the following series will be represented: Advance Wars, Animal Crossing, ARMS, Baloon Fight, F-Zero, Kid Icarus, Splatoon, and The Legend of Zelda. Adding to this, the leaker claims there will even be non-Nintendo IP, but it will be limited to Ubisoft’s Rabbids.
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The crossovers also won’t be limited to just characters, but will also include unique courses from these games and series, plus unique items. The leaker also mentions no coins, only one item slot, and dives into what the game is doing with box types. According to Leaky Pandy, there will be two item box types: big and small, with the former handing out powerful items and the latter providing less consequential items. Meanwhile, if you pass through any box while holding a small box item it will be upgraded to a big box item.
This is the extent of the report, and of course, what is here should be taken with a major grain of salt as it’s all unofficial and subject to change.
At the moment of publishing, Nintendo has not commented on any of this. We don’t expect this to change as it rarely comments on rumors, reports, leaks, or anything of the unofficial and speculative variety. The only time it does is when the report comes from an international and major news organization. Considering the source doesn’t fit this bill, there’s no reason to expect the standard silence to budge. However, if it does, the story will be updated accordingly.
