Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is in an interesting position. It’s technically a re-release of a game that came out in 2014, though it’s loaded with all of the original game’s DLC plus some new stuff. It’s the most content-rich Mario Kart game that’s ever existed, and it definitely feels like a complete game (and then some).
However, this is a game with an enormous install base, and many of its purchasers had never played the original version due to the Wii U’s embarrassingly poor sales. As more Switches end up in homes, we can be pretty sure the number of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe units sold will steadily continue to rise.
And that means that, even though this is a re-release, now is probably an even more lucrative time for Nintendo to put out DLC for it than 2014 and 2015 would have been.
And it’s not like there isn’t room for expansion. Hell, Nintendo could just release packs of legacy maps from older titles and I would gobble those up. I would love to see classics like Mario Kart Wii‘s Maple Treeway or the original SNES game’s Bowser’s Castle make a return.
While this roster is packed, there are still some characters missing from it — Birdo and more of Toad’s color variations in particular. Those could surely be added in the future, right?
I’m still working to collect enough coins to unlock every kart part, but I wouldn’t even mind seeing some more of those too.
And, I know better than to get my hopes up about this, but I would absolutely love to see Nintendo flesh out their online experience a bit. A better netcode and a halfway decent ranking system would be nice, as would a level-up progression system. I know a better online experience form Nintendo will never be more than a pipe dream, but I can wish for it, right?
There’s a ton of unmined potential here, and the user base is gigantic, so Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC wouldn’t be a bad idea, perhaps for this fall or winter. I won’t hold my breath for it, but I definitely see it as a possibility.
