Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling game on Nintendo Switch, just 200,000 copies shy of 54 million. It will likely cover that gap by the end of the year. During the latest Nintendo Direct live stream, two more Mario games have been announced for 2023, along with Wave 5 from the Booster Course Pass DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. So let's not waste time and see what the most recognizable plumber on the planet has in store for us.
Wave 5 is part of 6 total waves that will have launched by the end of this year. The new Squeaky Clean Sprint course is the first undisclosed item on the list. The track looks gorgeous, like Nintendo ripped it right out of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." Graphically, it's not as high-end as Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, but the art style is still one of the best in the business.
Aside from Squeaky Clean Sprint, there are seven other courses. As for the character list, we see old favorites again, like Petey Piranha from Gamecube's Mario Kart Double Dash. Next, Wiggler from Mario Kart 7 is making a return to form, followed by Kamek from MK Tour.
We didn't get a specific release date for Wave 5; we only know it "zooms onto Nintendo Switch this summer." Let's hope it doesn't come out on the very last day of August.
Aside from karting around, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and the Super Mario RPG remake are also coming this year. Even though the Switch is still rocking a 2015 chip inside, I don't think a Mario game ever looked as good as Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the next sidescrolling adventure in the unending platforming saga. Also, the fan-favorite Super Mario RPG isn't looking half-bad, either.
So far, Nintendo and Mario have had one hell of a year, and it seems like nothing will stand in the path of the money-making locomotive. We've had a Mario movie that made over $1.3 billion so far, the last three DLCs for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Super Mario RPG.
Not to mention the Princess Peach game, which is currently in active development. Even though it isn't coming this year, at least we know it's out there. Xbox could learn more than a thing or two from Nintendo's product management.
Coming full circle to Mario Kart, there's nothing confirmed yet for the next round of DLC that would typically come in 2024, but there might not be any at all. If Nintendo finally decides to release "Switch 2," then Mario Kart 9 would make much more sense to bundle with the new console.
Nintendo has the most considerable 1st party retention rate out of all the gaming platforms, and Mario Kart 9 on day-1 would be a gigantic system seller.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News