Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Image: Nintendo

Update: In the light of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe selling an incredible 10.6 million copies in 2020 alone, we've decided to resurrect this piece, which was originally published in July of 2018. Back then, we asked if you wanted to see Nintendo support the game with more DLC, and almost three years on, we're going to ask the same questions again.

In case you were wondering, here are the poll results from 2018. We've asked the same questions at the bottom of the page, so don't forget to recast your vote for 2021!

YouTube Video
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube793k
Watch on YouTube
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC

Original Story [Fri 20th Jul, 2018 17:00 BST]: We shouldn't really have been all that shocked about new DLC content arriving in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – after all, Nintendo told us it would happen a week ago. As one of the company's biggest-selling recent hits, it's understandable that Nintendo wants to extend the longevity of Mario Kart 8 with fresh content – but it's still remarkable to think that technically, this is a four-year-old game that any other company would have forgotten about by now.

Nintendo's games traditionally have much longer legs than those released by other companies, and it's fair to assume that Switch owners are just as likely to invest in 'classic' games as they are to snap up new releases; keeping Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the spotlight is, therefore, a sound business strategy. But how far should Nintendo take this approach? Should the company release even more DLC for the game, or should it eventually draw the line and create an all-new Mario Kart for Switch?

Both approaches have merit, at least on paper. Mario Kart 8 is perhaps the pinnacle of the franchise; it's hard to see how the core racing-and-combat mechanics could be improved in a sequel, unless something truly drastic is introduced – such as the (arguably divisive) dual-rider setup in Mario Kart: Double Dash – then a follow-up game would merely be covering old ground. Therefore, you could argue that by far the most sensible course of action is the one Nintendo is taking now; the best idea is to augment the existing game with new content, which in the future could even feature paid DLC (which happened on the Wii U) containing new drivers, karts, courses and cups.

On the other hand, nothing generates hype like entirely new software, so Mario Kart 9 (or whatever it is eventually called) would surely create a massive spike of interest that even a massive helping of DLC couldn't manage; Nintendo has previously said that it's happy to iterate rather than pump out needless yearly sequels, but the impending arrival of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate suggests that a shift in this approach could happen. There obviously comes a point where it's simply not financially viable to keep loading DLC into a years-old game, although Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's status as a recent re-release on Switch does rather exclude it from this scenario; given the small user base of the Wii U, a great many people playing the Switch version will see it as a title from 2017, not 2014.

So, what do you think Nintendo's approach should be here? Are you happy to see more content get added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, or are you itching to see the next stage of the franchise's evolution, given that this eighth entry is now almost half a decade old? As ever, we want to know, so vote in the poll below and don't forget to share your views by posting a comment.

Where do you think Nintendo should take the Mario Kart series?
Assuming you're in favour of more DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, how would you like it?