The latestMario Kartnews wasn’t quite what fans expected, but it was still remarkable. During the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, it announcedMario Kart 8 Deluxewill get a DLC expansion called the Booster Course Pass. That isn’t quite theMario Kart 9announcement that fans were hoping for, but the Booster Course Pass still promises to add a huge amount of content toMario Kart 8 Deluxe.Over the course of 2022 and 2023, Nintendo will release six waves of eight remastered courses; 48 tracks forMario Kart 8 Deluxein all. IfMario Kart 9isn’t happening anytime soon, such a big DLC expansion is a good consolation prize.
Still, it’s surprising that Nintendo hasn’t announced plans to add more drivers toMario Kart 8 Deluxealongside its new tracks. While there’s plenty of playable characters inMario Kart 8 Deluxe,some notable charactersusually found inMariospin-offsdidn’t make the cut. What’s more, Nintendo has released plenty of new drivers in recentMario KartDLCs, so adding more would make sense. The Booster Course Pass looks like a great addition to the game, but it’ll be better if Nintendo also has some bonus drivers tucked into its waves.
RELATED:Tracks That Should Be Added with Mario Kart 8’s Booster Course Pass
Potential DLC Drivers for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
TheMario Kart 8 Deluxeroster is big, but that’s not necessarily because it has a wide range of characters. It has quite a few duplicates of characters; not only do Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina all have playable baby variants, but Metal Mario, Pink Gold Peach, and Dry Bowser continue the variant trend.Mario Kart 8 Deluxealso features all seven Koopalings as distinct drivers, which takes up a lot of space.Mario Kart 8 DeluxecoverstheSuper Mariocharacter basics, but it sacrifices some other characters who frequent spin-offs like Birdo and Diddy Kong.
The Booster Course Pass would be a great occasion to bring back Birdo, Diddy Kong, and other drivers who missedMario Kart 8 Deluxe.What’s more, it could add tons of characters who only joined the franchise afterMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s debutthanks toMario Kart Tour.The mobileMario Kartgame has a massive character roster, and many characters make their firstMario Kartappearances there. To name only a few, Pauline, Kamek, Dixie Kong, and Captain Toad were all first added inTour.Between previous racers andTour’s new faces, there’s a lot of characters who could joinMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s DLC.
RELATED:How Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pack Works
Hope for Mario Kart 8 DLC Characters
Even if the Booster Course Pass doesn’t include additional characters, Nintendo could always consider adding character packs as individual pieces of DLC, not unlikeSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.Of course, there would be a negative side to even moreMario KartDLC: it would be a clear sign that Nintendo isn’t in a hurry tomakeMario Kart 9,despite recent leaks. The Booster Course Pass is still young, so fans will just have to wait and see how Nintendo handlesMario Kartin the coming months.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis available now for Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Mario Kart Tour Should Not Dominate the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC
