Nintendo officially unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2 today witha simple but exciting videothat hints very heavily at a newMario Karttitle.
No one knows if this will be calledMario Kart 9or something else, and the clip played second fiddle to the new console announcement, but asreported by VG247,Mario KartcreatorMankalorspotted a potentiallymajor change to the gamecoming with the next-gen title.
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In an aerial shot of the finish line, you get a good view of the usual twelve cars driving together, but there’s a catch.The starting grid has a total of 24 spots, split between four rows.
There is always the possibility that this is just a piece of art specific to this track, but it is unlikely that Nintendo would pursue such a direction: after all,unlike real-life racing tracks,Mario Kartones do not have multiple classes and events taking placearound the same circuit, so there is no need for different markings.
The most likely outcome is thatMario Kart, not to be outdone byFormula 1’s announcementthat the 2026 season would have a total of 22 cars fielded by 11 teams, decided to beat them to it by putting 24 cars in the likely 2025 release.
New Multiplayer Omens?
The appearance of a 24-car race opens the door to exciting possibilities inMario Kart. Nintendo should come out with details about this closer tothe game’s release date, but it has raised questions about the implementation.
Does this mean 24 players online, or even locally? Or will we have 12 players with another 12 AI drivers behind the wheel?
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Doubling the number of racers likely requires some rebalancing of tracks, especially narrow ones like Rainbow Road where overtaking is already treacherous with the current lineup of 12.
The power-ups will likely need some changes as well, as doubling the grid can both lead to scarcity and relentless shell salvos by salty backmarkers.
Maybe with the expanded grid inMario Kart, Andretti can finally get a spot in a global motorsport competition, after itsfailed Formula 1 bidsover the years.
You canread more about the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement here.
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