Next Mario Kart title on Switch likely delayed until 2021

By Brandon McIntyre June 15, 2020

While the next mainline entry in the Mario Kart series had been rumored for a late 2020 release, Nintendo may have delayed it into 2021.

Rumors for a Mario Kart 9 on Switch began in January by noted leaker Sabi. Further, the insider mentioned Mario Kart as a potential holiday release. The same leaker accurately reported that a new Paper Mario would come out this year, a point that proved true.

But the Mario Kart sequel is now delayed to 2021, according to ComicBook and industry insider, Vergeben. Vergeben previously leaked the development of 2019’s Resident Evil 2 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighters Ice Climbers and Simon Belmont, which later proved accurate.

A reason for the delay was not given, though the coronavirus has caused industry-wide disruption.

Digital Trends reached out to Nintendo for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

For now, Mario Kart Tour holds its place as the latest release in the Mario Kart franchise. The popular mobile title regularly gets updated with new events in the form of “tours,” which include new vehicle parts and racers.

And Mario Kart 8 Deluxe stands as one of the Nintendo Switch’s most successful games and one of the best multiplayer games on Nintendo Switch. Given Nintendo’s track record with the series, Mario Kart 9 is strongly expected to enter the playing field eventually. However, the wait may take a bit longer than initially predicted.

Given the game’s original rumored release window of late 2020, Switch owners may have a while to go for more big first-party releases after Paper Mario: The Origami King. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Bayonetta 3 were also pushed out of the 2020 window, and the latter half of this year looks dry for the Switch.

As for Mario Kart 9, the game hasn’t received an official announcement yet. However, it is feasible that Nintendo fans will get a preview by the end of 2020 if the game is in development. This year marks Super Mario Bros.‘ 35th anniversary, so it would make sense for there to be more Mario-related announcements for Nintendo Switch. Further, a Mario Kart 9 announcement would be a welcome one for fans of the franchise.

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Gaming

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is getting a very red Nintendo Switch OLED

An image of the Nintendo Switch - OLED Model Mario Red Edition.

Nintendo is launching a Nintendo Switch - OLED Model Mario Red Edition in October. The news capped off the company's Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct today, which shared new details on the upcoming platformer.

This new themed version of the latest Nintendo Switch iteration is completely red across the system and Joy-Cons. On the back of it, players can find a silhouette of Mario and hidden coins. It's not as detailed as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's OLED model, but it does look very sleek. This Mario Red Edition system will come out on October 6, two weeks ahead of Super Mario Bros. Wonder's release.

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All cross-platform games (PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

Two squads of heroes clash in an Overwatch 2 trailer.

Cross-platform support is becoming more important in the world of video games. Multiplayer hits like Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Fortnite have pushed crossplay into the limelight, and now most AAA multiplayer games release with at least partial cross-platform support. Finding every cross-platform game is no easy feat, though, so we did the hard work to bring you a comprehensive list of games that support crossplay.

Unfortunately, there aren't any rules when it comes to crossplay, so each game handles the feature a little differently. To make matters more confusing, certain backward-compatible games on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X still support crossplay on the most recent hardware, even if there isn't an official release for that hardware.

Gaming

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct: how to watch and what to expect

Mario as an elephant in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Nintendo will reveal more about Super Mario Bros. Wonder during a Nintendo Direct dedicated to the game that's set for later this week. Nintendo announced this new 2D Mario game during a Direct in June, but we haven't learned much more about it since then outside of the fact that Charles Martinet won't voice Mario in it. As such, this is a presentation Mario fans will definitely want to tune into ahead of the game's release in October. If you're planning to watch the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct live, this is everything you need to know about watching it.

When is the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct
Nintendo confirmed that the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct will take place at 7 a.m. PT on August 31. It says the showcase will last "roughly 15 minutes," so you'll only need to set aside a little bit of time on Thursday morning for it.
How to watch the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct
Like most Nintendo Directs, this Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct will be live-streamed on Nintendo's YouTube channel. The premiere for it is already live on YouTube, and you can watch it from this article with the embedded video below.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct 8.31.2023
What to expect from the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct
Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches for Nintendo Switch on October 20, but there's still a lot we don't know about it. Nintendo simply says the Direct will serve as "an in-depth look at Mario's latest 2D side-scrolling adventure," so expect a deep dive into the different characters, gimmicks, and abilities players will encounter during the game.
I personally hope we learn more about some of the new power-ups we can use in the adventure, like the Wonder Flower that makes levels weird and the strange-looking power-up that turns Mario into an elephant. One thing you shouldn't expect from this Direct: other Nintendo games. This is a livestream to tune into if you want to learn more about Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario Bros. Wonder alone. That's not such a bad thing, though.