A new Mario Kart is reportedly on the way and could be revealed as early as this year, according to an analyst with Kantan Games. Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz about his gaming predictions for 2022, analyst Serkan Toto revealed that Mario Kart 9 is in "active development."
While Toto did not reveal much about the next installment in Nintendo's popular kart racing franchise, he did offer that it will come with "a new twist." Mario Kart 8, the last mainline installment, introduced anti-gravity racing where certain parts of the track would allow racers to drive on walls and ceilings.
A new Mario Kart is long overdue. The last game to be released was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch back in April 2017, and that was really just an enhanced version of Mario Kart 8 which released for the Wii U all the way back in 2014.
Mario Kart 8 and Deluxe have combined to sell more than 47 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling racing game. Meanwhile, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch with 38.7 million copies sold as of September 30, 2021. That number has likely gone up since the holiday window.
Toto believes Mario Kart 9 will be teased this year, although it's unlikely to release anytime soon. Nintendo already has a packed slate of games for 2022 which includes Pokemon Legends: Arceus, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Splatoon 3.