Mario Kart Tour content ending has fans speculating about Mario Kart 9
NintendoNintendo quietly announcing the end of new content for Mario Kart Tour and the upcoming final wave of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass has fans speculating about the series’ future.
After four years, Mario Kart Tour is getting its final new content drop next month.
Nintendo – very quietly – made the announcement through an in-app message that buries the fact that “no new courses, drivers, karts or gliders will be added” after October 4.
Now, fans are wondering if Mario Kart 9 is around the corner, especially with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass’ sixth and final wave coming by the end of 2023.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Tour are both getting their last pieces of new content soon
In the message, the Mario Kart Tour Team announced the next three tours. From October 4 on, however, all tours will consist of existing content.
Battle Tour shares a name with a tour held last year, and there have been Halloween Tours every year since the game launched in 2019.
The good news for fans is that Mario Kart Tour will still be accessible. There seem to be no plans to delist or completely end support anytime soon as was the case with Dragalia Lost and Dr. Mario World.
Some are convinced the end of Mario Kart Tour content lining up with the end of the Booster Course Pass is no coincidence.
While the series has expanded with Tour (a mobile game) and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (a mixed-reality game), the Switch generation has not received a brand-new traditional Mario Kart game. The news has fans speculating – or at least hoping – this means Mario Kart 9 is next.
Them stopping tour means they have more people for working on new projects – it may mean a future for Mario Kart 9, a new mobile game, or other quality projects unrelated to Mario Kart we can enjoy. I'm optimistic anyways.
— Triforce Comet (@TriforceComet) September 11, 2023
Adding fuel to the speculation are the ongoing rumors of a Nintendo Switch successor possibly releasing next year. The Switch 2 was reportedly shown off behind closed doors at this year’s Gamescom, boasting much-improved hardware specs.
Since its 2017 release, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has topped the list of bestselling Switch games. As Grayson_0304 points out, it would make perfect sense to release Mario Kart 9 early in the Switch 2’s life, possibly as a launch title.
The timing could just be a coincidence, but it would make sense for Nintendo to want to wrap up the current generation of Mario Kart games now before the new one presumably begins.
Regardless of their intentions, it’s clear that – nearly 10 years since Mario Kart 8’s initial Wii U release – there’s a strong desire for a brand-new Mario Kart game.