There will never be a Diddy Kong Racing successor on a Nintendo system while Mario Kart is still being produced. Nintendo aren't going to release any games that potentially eat into the sales of the latest Mario Kart no matter how long it has been on the shelves for. I think this maybe the reason Z-Zero has not made a return.
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F-Zero and Mario Kart are different games that appeal to different gamers, so I can see both co-existing. DKR, no chance. Besides, if it wasn't RARE making it, it wouldn't be DKR. And if it was RARE making it, it wouldn't be DKR either, seeing as most of the original team no longer work there.
I can see Playtonic Games (pretty much all the ex-RARE team) doing a DKR stylee game though, with new characters. I'd put bets on that that will indeed be their next game too. Are there even any MK/DKR style games on current gen consoles (barring the Switch)?
Diddy Kong is one of the characters that haven't returned to Mario Kart since 2008s Mario Kart Wii.
He was a playable character in two other racing games just months before he last appeared as a playable character in Mario Kart Wii:
Starring role in Diddy Kong Racing DS (Nintendo DS, 2007)
One of the main characters in Donkey Kong Jet Race / Barrel Blast (Wii, 2007/2008).
Still, I think it's weird they took him out of MK8 with Diddy Kong featuring in prominent releases such as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U, 2013), Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS (2014), two Mario vs. Donkey Kong games on both the Wii U & 3DS, and him even having 2 amiibos that work with Super Mario Odyssey.
Other than Diddy Kong these are the other characters that were playable in earlier Mario Kart games:
2. Donkey Kong Jr. (only appearence in the original SNES Super Mario Kart, 1992)
3. Paratroopa (red Koopa with wings, only appearance in Mario Kart Double Dash!!, Gamecube 2003)
4. Birdo (last appearance in MK Wii)
5. Petey Piranha (only appearance in Double Dash!!)
6. R.O.B. (only appearance in Mario Kart DS, Nintendo DS, 2005)
7. Funky Kong (only appearance in MK Wii)
8. Wiggler (only appearance in Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS, 2011)
9. Honey Queen (only appearance in MK7)
All in all that's just 9 old characters missing from the Switch version.
There are a few more characters from the 3 Mario Kart GP arcade games (for completions sake)
10. Pac-Man
11. Ms. Pac-Man
12. Blinky
13. Mametchi
14. Don
@FragRed
I disagree. I think Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the last MK we're going to see for a long time, actually. I don't think there will be another one on the Switch.
@rallydefault If Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the only release of the series on the Switch, and there doesn't seem to be any DLC coming to it, I still don't think Nintendo will release anything else in the same genre. They will happily push the game till the very end as they know it will always be one of the games people think of buying first with any Nintendo system.
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Well, Xbox's Phil Spencer recently revealed that his new role (Executive Vice-President) will allow him greater scope to perhaps allow certain first-party Microsoft titles to be released on other platforms beyond Xbox/Windows - many people seemed to jump on that statement and suggest that he was referring to games like Halo, but I highly doubt that there's any truth in that (the Xbox needs exclusives to survive!) ..instead, I think that he's just looked at Minecraft and come to the realisation that certain titles can actually enhance the Microsoft brand (rather than damage it) by having a scope beyond their first-party platforms
I remember the anxiety in the gaming community when Microsoft acquired Minecraft, with many assuming that they would stop supporting the versions on rival platforms and treat it as a first-party exclusive going forward - but it's been quite bold and refreshing to see that they've actually done the opposite and, in fact, expanded the games reach by releasing the game on even more platforms...far from being an Xbox exclusive with a limited consumer base, they've actually transformed it in to a multi-platform mega-brand that can be accessed on pretty much any device that you can think of! ..not only would it appear that this move has been lucrative for Microsoft - but it's also likely to have had a positive impact on the MS brand as a whole - so it makes sense that they may look at other titles and see if they can do the same.
Now, as I see it, any first-party title that they'd consider to be a 'system-seller' for Xbox (eg. Halo) will likely remain exclusive to help them shift hardware units - Minecraft is a bit different as it was already multi-platform before they acquired it and keeping it as such has proven to be a smart move...with their other games however - eg. Rare IP perhaps (?) - if they're not falling in to the 'system-seller' category, maybe he's suggesting that they might consider opening them up to other platforms as well going forward? ..the Rare Replay collection, for example, was very well received - but shifted fewer than a million copies worldwide (and probably didn't help them sell many consoles by itself either) - so they might (hopefully!) be looking at games like that and thinking; 'if it's not a system-seller, what sense is there in keeping it exclusive?' - which makes a whole lot of sense to me! ..they're getting a whole lot of value out of their 'system-selling' exclusives - and a whole lot of value out of their multi-platform title; Minecraft - but considerably less value out of other well-received titles, so it might be worth re-thinking their strategy with those games?
I might be getting waaaaay ahead of myself - but the way I see it, if Rare Replay got a release on Switch, it wouldn't surprise me if they were able to surpass the collections' lifetime sales on Xbox One (0.88m) in little more than a week! ..if the audience isn't there on Xbox - and it isn't attracting enough people to buy an Xbox to play it - wouldn't it make more sense to perhaps open it up to other consoles as well? ..a move like that wouldn't damage the brand, because it isn't really contributing enough to the brand as it is anyway - releasing Rare Replay on Switch (and elsewhere) might not only provide a sales boost for the game, but also be good PR like the Minecraft multi-platform expansion has been? ..a win-win-win?! ..I could definitely see Rare Replay getting a release beyond Xbox in future
As for Diddy Kong Racing itself, I'm not so sure...Diddy Kong is still a Nintendo IP - the rest is Rare (Microsoft). If Nintendo insist that Diddy Kong remain a Nintendo exclusive IP, maybe there's little hope that we'll see a new release (eg. DKR2) as Microsoft would likely want it to be on Xbox/Windows as well...for Nintendo though, Diddy Kong (by himself) is more of a fringe IP, so perhaps they could look at Diddy (and other, more minor characters) and relax their rules a bit in the hope of perhaps seeing a similar, positive impact? ..a Diddy Kong Racing game on both Switch and Xbox could be positive for both brands?
It's still pretty much a pipe-dream at this stage - but I think that there's real hope that the Rare Replay collection could, perhaps, make its way over to the Switch (and beyond) ..and, who knows, Nintendo might look at what Microsoft are doing and look to do similar with some of their own 'non system-selling' IP - perhaps even coming to some sort of arrangement with Rare/Microsoft to see if they can reboot Diddy Kong Racing in a way that works for everyone? ..it'd be quite a bold move on Nintendo's part, but if Diddy Kong (by himself) isn't contributing much to the Nintendo brand (compared to Mario/Zelda/Donkey Kong etc) maybe it'd be worth looking at?? Having certain fringe Nintendo characters become 'multi-platform' IP's might actually be a benefit - and they'd still keep their bigger IP's as exclusives...it'd certainly be worth looking at, I think! **fingers crossed!**
@NaviAndMii Rare Replay on Switch would make so much sense for Nintendo, for Rare and for Microsoft. It's a game that's not doing anything on XBox any more but it would do some very nice business on Switch (and releasing it on Switch would also act to promote the game giving it a second wind on XBox too).
Putting Halo (probably an older version from the 360) on Switch might not be a bad move from Microsoft either. They'd be able to restrict online multiplayer to XBox Live accounts. Harvesting the data from a couple of million otherwise unreachable Switch owners might be a very attractive thing for Microsoft and since the Switch is almost the polar opposite of the XBox One X in terms of reach.
A new Diddy Kong Racing available on Switch and XBox though... I don't think Nintendo would go for it. Such a game would have to be of a comparable quality to Mario Kart 8 DX. If it was much worse then, from Nintendo's perspective, why bother? If it was much better (even just arguably) then you're not going to want it on your competitors console casting a shade over your biggest selling single game - especially since reviewers would instantly compare the Switch version to the XBox One X version.
Personally what I'd like to see would be a "Diddy Kong Racing Mode" in Mario Kart where you have the question mark blocks replaced with the power up system from Diddy Kong Racing. That would be enough for me - it would make Mario Kart 8 DX peerless.
I think @zitpig is on the money too. A "Yooka Laylee Racing" is a logical next step for Playtonic and that might be the best bet for a kart racing game that incorporates exploration/adventure aspects.
@FragRed
I still have this nagging suspicion that they're going to release more DLC for MK8 Deluxe, sort of like what they pulled with NSMBU with the Luigi DLC a year or so later seemingly out of the blue. We may get hit with a kinda/sorta lull in 1st-party games in the middle of 2018, and I can see a surprise DLC announcement for MK8 making a lot of sense to fill the gap. MK8 is just such a solid platform to build on in terms of the racing feel, physics, roster, etc.
Now, I do think Diddy Kong Racing is a moon shot. Like, a serious LONG shot that may never come to fruition. HOWEVER, Microsoft has been showing signs lately that they're willing to publish on other consoles. This is because of some of Phil Spencer's comments, yea, but also subtle things like that Max game appearing on other consoles instead of just Xbox and PC (that was billed as a Microsoft title when it first came out) and, of course, Minecraft.
And let's just all be honest here: a Rare game on Switch would sell better than all other consoles and PC combined, easily. The audience is here. Just like I think when (IF? lol) Yooka-Laylee comes out on Switch, its numbers are going to eclipse what it did on the other platforms. And Microsoft knows this: they KNOW they would rake in the dough if they put a Rare title on the Switch.
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