Topic: Will we ever see a Mario Kart game after 8?

@Csaw You're confusing something there. DC Comics has no clear lines as to which characters are strictly part of which series. Joker is Batman's main antagonist, but he has an entire comic series of his own, and even those have both new and recurring DC characters. That's how DC upholds popularity. But that's also why DC had multiple canon reboots - all these characters thrown together created conflicting stories. And even after establishing the "New 52" universe, DC canon remains a convoluted mess, because it has no clear rules that anyone needs to follow.

Mario Kart, on the other hand, was created with the distinct theme of only Mario characters competing in kart races in mind. This also serves as an identifier for the possible range of characters one should expect. Nintendo normally cleanly separates their brands in order to ensure the integrity of their atmosphere (Mario=adventure and kindness, Metroid=isolation and survival, Zelda=discovery and heroism, StarFox=responsibility and reason, F-Zero=victory and resolve, Animal Crossing=peace and friendship, and so on...). This atmosphere is most of a game series' whole identity, to begin with, and Nintendo always built their games with these atmospherical themes in mind while changing the outline to offer unique, yet familiar experiences. But lately, Nintendo lost touch with these themes - starting with Monster Hunter 4, they began to wildly throw cameos in many directions, and while these cameos are very enjoyable on the surface, there's always a disconnect between the game and the cameo. And while Monster Hunter at least acknowledges that by having only cameo costumes, Mario Kart neither has a reason nor an explanation for the recent cameo appearances. It would be okay if the reason was at least an addition or change in gameplay, but even that does not apply for the new content.

I think we'll get Mario Kart 9 on the next handheld, then MK10 will be Nintendo Kart (because it's on a home console)

Ohmygawd... Thank you!

Mario Kart is a recognizable franchise. If they just stopped and started producing "Nintendo Kart" or "Super Smash Kart" or "Nintendo All-Stars Racing" or something, there'd be confusion.

I'm all for Nintendo Kart, but I don't know if they'll ever go that route completely. They might still release Mario Kart with a couple unlockable/DLC Nintendo characters, but I can't see them going full on "All-Star Racing".... at least for the next few games.