Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Wave 6 release window, tracks so far and characters

The checkered flag is being waved and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Wave 6 release date is inching closer to the finish line.

[keegamer80]

Nintendo has done great things with Mario Kart 8 on Switch. After horrible Wii U sales the port has become the biggest and best Mario Kart to date.

[Tacoboto]

I'm glad they didn't actually make an MK9 for the Switch. 8 was so solid and didn't get the appreciation it deserved, now it's reached like 5-6x the amount of players it ever could have and has grown to be almost like a repository for the best maps the franchise has put out.

[Unknown_Gamer5794]

For a fun statistic, apparently the Switch port of MK8 has sold more than 4X what the Wii U console sold.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/...

[poppatron]

I wonder what the plan will be on the switch 2. Unless they add major new gameplay mechanics, doing away with the huge mk8 and starting a new with an mk9 must be pretty terrifying. There’s a huuuge amount of tracks in mk8 now

[Yi-Long]

I hope they just stick with MK8, perhaps change the ‘8’ into the ‘Infinity’ symbol, and just build and expand on what they have, so bringing in new Nintendo characters and locations (Metroid, Zelda, F-Zero, Xenoblade, etc), as well as including a fantastic track-creator (ala Modnation).

[poppatron]

Couldn’t agree more! Starting again seems like a real waste of time

[Sgt_Slaughter]

That's the same issue Smash Bros. is currently facing; How do you move on from the biggest entry in your series' history that celebrates everything that came before it?

[JimmyDM90]

I hope they just go full smash/Nintendo kart with it. Bringing in a bunch more characters, tracks and items from the different Nintendo franchises (Kirby, Pokemon, Starfox, etc). They've already dipped their toe with 8, leaning much heavier into it for 9 would be an easy way to differentiate the new game on top of some new mechanical gimmick. Not sure what the new gimmick would be but destructible environments could be cool. Blast a hole through a wall with a green shell then speed through shortcut you just created. Knock out the support beams of a roof to create a ramp, etc.