During today's Nintendo Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct, Nintendo officially revealed its new Mario Kart game coming to the console, which we now know to be titled Mario Kart World. It's Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, and it's a launch day release.
The trailer today was a fast-paced explosion of neat new elements. Rapidfire, we got a look at a number of returning characters, new tracks, and feature such as jet skis on water, rail grinding on the edges of courses, the ability to bounce off walls, customizable characters with hats and outfits, changing weather and time of day on courses, a photo mode, and the ability to play as the cow from Moo Moo Meadows. You heard me!
The biggest feature of World is the ability to drive off-road essentially anywhere you want on the course in what seems to be a large open world, with drivers having to drive from course to course in each four-course Grand Prix.
The last "mainline" Mario Kart game, Mario Kart 8, originally came out way, way back in 2014 for the Wii U, and was later re-released as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch. Since then, it's become the definitive Mario Kart game, selling nearly 65 million copies and getting numerous updates over time with new racers, tracks, karts, and more. While other Mario Kart games have come out during that time, such as Mario Kart Tour on mobile and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, this new Mario Kart release on Switch 2 is a major step forward for Nintendo as it says goodbye at last to one of the best-selling games of all time. Can Mario Kart World surpass it? We'll have to wait and find out.
You can catch up on everything announced at the Nintendo Direct today right here. More information is coming on Mario Kart World in a future Nintendo Direct dedicated to the game.
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