No New Race Tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Switch
By Riley Little 16 January 2017
Nintendo confirms that, outside of a handful of new characters, weapons, and battlegrounds, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will not feature any new tracks on Nintendo Switch.
Despite already being available on the Wii U, one of the most anticipated launch window games for the Nintendo Switch is none other than Mario Kart 8. The game – updated enough to warrant a ‘Deluxe’ on the tail end of its title – is set to offer players a handful of new playable characters and a revamped Battle Mode, but Nintendo has now confirmed that the remixed Mario Kart will not provide fans with any new tracks within the game’s core racing mode.
According to Nintendo Everything (via Famitsu), Nintendo took to a stage during the company’s Nintendo Switch Experience 2017 to confirm that there would be a total of 48 race tracks featured within Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While this is a solid number for gamers to take part in, it’s also the exact same amount as what was featured in the game’s Wii U installment – albeit after the release of Zelda and Animal Crossing DLC.
It should go without saying, but many consumers were hoping that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would contain new tracks for them to tear up. As a major selling point, the new tracks (and resurrected retro tracks) could have been great incentives for those that already owned the Wii U iteration of the blockbuster kart racing franchise. As it has turned out, those that had hoped for as much can instead try to justify a repurchase through the addition of new characters like the Inklings to Mario Kart 8 or the fact that the game runs at 1080p on the Switch.
It is possible that more tracks will arrive post-launch through additional downloadable content, something that Nintendo has yet to rule out, but players will have to make do with the tracks available for the foreseeable future. It’s also possible that development has already begin on a ‘Mario Kart 9‘, which would help justify the lack of new courses, although this is just speculation at this point in time.
Whatever the reason for the lack of new race tracks is, gamers that end up buying a Nintendo Switch near launch will at the very least have The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to look forward to prior to the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in April. As previously touched upon, the revamped Kart also marks the debut of the Inklings on the Switch, which should lead nicely to the release of Splatoon 2 on the system later this Summer.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will arrive exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on April 28, 2017.
