Nintendo Wants Mario Kart World to Last for Years – Could Exciting DLC Be Coming?
Mario Kart World is one of the hottest titles for the Nintendo Switch 2, but its predecessor, Mario Kart 8, had a lifespan of over ten years. Indeed, the Mario Kart 8 online servers are still active and many people, myself included, still play it on a regular basis. However, Nintendo is hoping that Mario Kart World will have a similarly long lifespan. Could this mean that DLC is on the way?
Nintendo Wants Mario Kart World to be “An Evergreen Title”
Nintendo’s latest financial briefing discusses how the Switch 2 has sold over ten thousand units, which “marks the highest global sales figure for any dedicated video game platform from Nintendo in the first four months following its launch.” As such, Nintendo plans to focus on the Switch 2 in the coming years. The statement discussed how “roughly 9 out of every 10 people who purchased Nintendo Switch 2 have played this title, including those who bought the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle.”
In addition, Nintendo stated that “just as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe became the most-played title on Nintendo Switch, we aim for Mario Kart World to become an evergreen title for Nintendo Switch 2 that players will continue to choose for years to come.” This statement has raised questions about what could be in store for the game’s future.
Could Some Awesome DLC Be Coming?
One of the things that kept Mario Kart 8 alive for so was the ample amount of DLC. Back when Mario Kart 8 was a Wii-U title, Nintendo released DLC packs that added new tracks, along with characters and courses from The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon.
When the title came to the Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, all these extras were included, but Nintendo didn’t stop there. Over the course of 2022 and 2023, Nintendo gradually released the Booster Course Pass, which was free for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members. The Booster Course Pass contained forty-eight new tracks and eight new characters, along with some bonus Mii outfits.
What sort of DLC could Nintendo offer for Mario Kart World? Well, perhaps they could add a second interconnected world that is themed around different Nintendo franchises. You could drive from a Legend of Zelda-themed area to a Metroid-themed area to an Animal Crossing-themed area.
Bring On New Content!
It’s reasonable to assume that Nintendo will offer DLC for Mario Kart World at some point in the future, but the form that DLC will take is anyone’s guess for now. I was one of the people that was hoping for more characters from other Nintendo franchises to show up in the next Mario Kart game after Mario Kart 8, so if my idea for a second world themed around Nintendo franchises becomes a reality, I can’t wait for it.
