First Mario Kart 9 gameplay details leak

Despite releasing in 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still one of Nintendo’s best-selling Switch games. This is even more bewildering considering it’s a port of Mario Kart 8, which came out way back in 2014 on the Wii U. MK8D's ongoing success raises the question: will there be a Mario Kart 9?

Well, Mario Kart 9 is in “active development” and will have a “unique twist” according to a recent leak. Now, the same leaker has shared the first details about this mystery twist.

Mario Kart All-Stars

According to LeakyPandy via ComicBook, Mario Kart 9 will feature crossover content from other famous Nintendo franchises. Think of it as Mario Kart's equivalent to Super Smash Bros.

Allegedly, characters, items, and locations from Advance Wars, Animal Crossing, ARMS, Balloon Fight, F-ZERO, Kidicarus, Splatoon, and Zelda will appear in MK9.

https://twitter.com/LeakyPandy/status/1483202691710992389

This is certainly plausible. After all, characters and locations from Animal Crossing and Zelda were added to MK8 as DLC. Locations from F-Zero and Excitebike also came to MK8, and the Inklings from Splatoon are playable characters in MK8: Deluxe.

The leaker also says MK9 will include content from Ubisoft's Rabbids. If true, this won’t be the first Mario and Rabbids crossover. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle released in 2017 and a sequel is in development.

Gameplay changes

According to LeakyPandy, MK9 will also bring some major gameplay changes. There will reportedly be no coins to collect and only one item per slot. In addition, the leaker says there will be big and small item boxes.

The former contains more powerful items such as the star and three shells, while the latter gives you smaller items like one shell or a mushroom. Passing through a box with a small-box item will upgrade it to a big box item according to the leaker.

It's also worth noting that LeakyPandy refers to the next MK game as Mario Kart 10. This is because Nintendo might consider Mario Kart Home: Live Circuit as the ninth instalment. Mario Kart Crossroads is another rumoured title, but the name of the next MK has not been confirmed yet.

As always, it’s important to stress that Nintendo hasn’t officially announced MK9, so take these rumours with a pinch of salt.

Mario Kart 9 release date

LeakyPandy believes Nintendo will announce MK9 sometime in 2022, but this isn’t official yet. If MK9 is in development, it remains to be seen if it will release on Switch or a next-generation Nintendo console. But considering how popular Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still is, Nintendo is probably in no rush to roll out a sequel.