According to a prominent Nintendo insider, Mario Kart X is the next Mario Kart game, which seemingly confirms rumblings that Mario Kart: Home Circuit is viewed internally by Nintendo as Mario Kart 9. Adding to this, the new report about the next Mario Kart game claims it will be a soft-reboot and lean into crossovers. And this is where the name “Mario Kart X” comes into play. Not only is “X” the roman numeral of 10 but it’s also meant to represent crossover. And the next Mario Kart game is reportedly going big on the crossovers.
The report comes the way of Zippo, who notes that while the game will serve as a soft reboot for the series, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be only old courses from the first game. In fact, Zippo notes fans shouldn’t expect any old courses, with the crossover aspect set to be realized not just with characters and items, but courses.
“Multiple sources familiar with the situation have informed me that this new Mario Kart is being positioned as a ‘soft reboot.’ That is to say, the core aspects of Mario Kart aren’t going anywhere and of course, the core Mario Kart cast aren’t either,” said Zippo. “Do not expect old courses to appear in the base game. The game will heavily lean into the crossover aspect, which includes characters, courses, and items.”
According to Zippo, Mario Kart X has been in development for four years. Despite this, its release may be a ways off as Nintendo is preparing to hold the game until the Nintendo Switch 2 releases. Right now, there have been rumors of a new Nintendo console, but that’s it. Most rumors suggest the console won’t be out until 2024.
“The game has reportedly been in development for about four years now, and given the ongoing mysterious situation with Switch 2, it will be quite some time before you see the game in action,” said Zippo.
As always, take everything here with a grain of salt. Zippo is one of the most reliable Nintendo insiders, but that doesn’t change the fact that everything here is unofficial. Further, even if this is all accurate, it may not stay this way, as everything is subject to change in game development.
