Next Mario Kart title on Switch likely delayed until 2021

By Brandon McIntyre Published 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.

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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.

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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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Brandon McIntyre

Former Digital Trends Contributor

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The best gear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Luigi kicks a shell in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

The Mario & Luigi series has always been a lighter take on RPGs, but still has all the core elements you expect from the genre. With Mario & Luigi: Brothership, you can count on the return of turn-based battles, puzzles, leveling up, and plenty of gear to find, buy, and equip to alter your stats. This isn't the most challenging RPG on the market, but not upgrading or maximizing your gear can certainly make it far more challenging than it needs to be. You will need to manage both Mario and Luigi's gear individually with dozens of ways to build their abilities. Before you invest in that expensive pair of gloves or shiny pair of boots, let us point you in the right direction on what the best gear is in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
Best gear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Gear can be broken down into five categories: Boots, Hammers, Wear, Gloves, and Accessories. In total, each brother can equip up to five pieces of gear. Some gear can be found, while most needs to be purchased or crafted as you go through the game. We'll run through the best one or two for each category for each of the brothers.
Best gear for Mario

Starting at the bottom, the best Boots for Mario are the Gobblick Boots DX. These give you Jump +123 and Stache +5 but also give you 10% of damage dealt back as HP so you can keep on the attack and not worry about healing as often.

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The best Battle Plugs in Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Luigi in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

Besides your equipment, Battle Plugs are the main part of your kit that you will need to manage in Mario & Luigi: Brothership. These new equippable items can give you a wide range of different bonuses to make even the toughest challenge more manageable. Between the Battle Plugs you earn naturally, ones you can buy, and others made by crafting, there are dozens of plugs and thousands of possible combinations to equip. Because you only have so many Power Taps to equip them in, you will need to make some tough choices about which ones you think are most useful. Let's team up and go over some of the best Battle Plugs in Mario & Luigi: Brothership that you should build around.
The best Battle Plugs in Mario & Luigi: Brothership

When considering which Battle Plugs to use, it is important to remember that some can make combos. You won't know which pairs will make combos until you try them, but we will also share any possible combos we know of here.
Surprise Iron Ball
One of the early Battle Plugs in the game is a great one to keep using for the first half of the game or so. When you nail an Excellent rating with any Jump or Hammer attack, a spikey iron ball will fall onto the enemy to deal bonus damage. This is especially effective against bosses.

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Every challenge and reward in Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Luigi kicks a shell in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

You will face many obstacles on your quest across the islands of Concordia in Mario & Luigi: Brothership, in the form of classic turn-based battles and exploration. However, like every other Switch title, those who enjoy hunting for Trophies or Achievements won't find them here. Instead, Mario & Luigi: Brothership includes its own set of in-game challenges to scratch that same itch. These are difficult tasks that are completely optional but reward you with some very precious upgrade materials that are worth the effort. These will push you to use all the game's mechanics and tools. Most will be available from the start, but some only unlock later on so you can't complete them all at once. If you want to know what challenges await you in Mario & Luigi: Brothership, here's every challenge in the game and what your reward is for completing them.
All challenges and rewards in Mario & Luigi: Brothership

There are 29 total challenges in Mario & Luigi: Brothership. Some of them require you to complete other challenges to unlock them, while others open up as you progress the story. Here is each challenge name, what you need to do to complete it, and the reward.