Mario Kartfans have been waiting for the Switch to get a new entry in the franchise for a long time. Nintendo has enthusiastically supported the mobile titleMario Kart Tourin the last few years, but fans want to seeMario Kartget a new console entry, which it hasn’t had since 2014 whenMario Kart 8released for Wii U.Mario Kart 8 Deluxemay be a hit on the Switch, but it isn’t an entirely new experience. Thankfully, an increasing number of leakers claim thatMario Kart 9is in the works and could get revealed sometime in 2022. If that’s the case, there’s a chance thatMario Kartfans will get a new racing game by the year’s end.
TheMario Kartleaks suggest a bold new game that could send the franchise in the new direction, which sounds great. However, the more elaborateMario Kart 9leaks get, the more likely it seems that the rest of theSuper Mariobrand will have to step aside to make way for it. In particular,Mario Kart 9’s rumored scalecould suggest thatSuper Mario Odyssey 2isn’t coming out anytime soon. AlthoughSuper Mariofans are eager to get another platformer afterOdyssey’s overwhelming success, ifMario Kart 9is as ambitious and experimental as sources claim, thenOdysseymight need to be held off so Nintendo can focus on its peer.
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The State of Mario in 2022
So far,Mario Kart 9leaks have pretty consistently claimed that the game is all about crossover content. Other Nintendo IPs will enter the game in droves, rather than only a couple familiar faces appearing like inMario Kart 8.If that’s the case, Nintendo has a lot of advertising to do. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Nintendo arrange a long-term ad campaign where it announcesfranchises appearing inMario Kart 9one by one. Considering how long it’s been since consoles got a newMario Kartgame, as well as how long the Switch has gone without getting its own brand newMario Kartgame, Nintendo will probably make a big deal out ofMario Kart 9regardless of its contents.
That may mean that there’s not a lot of room for a new coreSuper Mariogame in 2022. Leaks suggest that Nintendo will announce aMario Sportsgame in this year alongsideMario Kart,andthe officialMariomovieis meant to release next December, so Nintendo’s hands may already be full ofMariocontent in 2022 so far. With that in mind,Super Mario Odyssey 2may not be destined for a 2022 release. Instead, 2022 might be defined bySuper Mariospin-offs and side games.
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Where is Super Mario Odyssey 2?
It’s a little hard to imagine aSuper Marioplatformer giving up the stage for a spin-off, butMario Kartis no ordinary spin-off.Mario Karthas always been an incredibly lucrative Nintendo franchise in its own right. Even if it’s technically part of a side franchise, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that Nintendo wantsMario Kart 9to serve as the flagshipMariogame of 2022. While naturally that would meanSuper Mario Odyssey2won’t show its head until around 2023, that could give Nintendo time to perfectOdyssey’s sequel.
Afterall the love thatSuper Mario Odysseygot, it seems inevitable that Nintendo will confirm a sequel at some point, just like it did forSuper Mario Galaxy.Of course,Odyssey’s reputation means it’s also a very hard game to follow up on, which could explain whyOdyssey 2is taking so long, if it exists at all. In the end, it’s possible thatMario Kart 9won’t replaceOdyssey 2this year, but buy time for it. Until Nintendo confirms its 2022 plans forMario’s many franchises, fans will be left guessing, but leaks certainly suggest thatOdyssey 2is far off whileMario Kart 9draws near.
