Mario Kart 9 Should Dig Deep For Nintendo Crossover Characters

gamerant.com:

Mario Kart fans have been waiting on a new game for a long time. Recent leaks related to Mario Kart 9 inspired hope that Nintendo would release another game soon, but instead it looks like fans will have to settle for the Booster Course Pass DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. In spite of the new DLC, Nintendo could very well be working on a new Mario Kart game in the background. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's expansion could simply be buying time for the rumored new game, which will supposedly feature tons of Nintendo characters from outside the Super Mario series.

Leakers have already suggested that a wide range of characters might appear in Mario Kart 9. Sources suggest everything from Star Fox to Splatoon to Kid Icarus will appear in the new game, resulting in a collection of Nintendo's greatest hits akin to Super Smash Bros. Ideally, Mario Kart 9 won't simply try to imitate Smash's Nintendo character roster. Instead, Mario Kart 9 ought to dig deep into the Nintendo library to represent some of the company's more obscure IPs. Mario Kart's simple concept means there's room for characters of all kind to get a day in the sun.

Mario Kart 9 Could Be Cross-Gen With Nintendo's Next Console

For many years, Super Smash Bros. has cropped up as a playable means to celebrate Nintendo's impact on the game industry. Smash has kept Nintendo franchises recognizable even when they're on hiatus, and it's a valuable advertising platform for Nintendo's newer IPs. If Mario Kart 9 really is full of guest characters, it'll inevitably get compared to Smash by virtue of having a similar concept. Those comparisons could work inMario Kart 9's favor; now that Smash's future is uncertain, it can at least temporarily play the role of Nintendo's crossover franchise.