Are new characters for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe out?

Mario Kart 8, a game that many have loved since it was launched a decade ago on the Wii U, does not stop getting better for players. And Mario Kart 8 Deluxe new characters are proof of that.

The 2017 Switch version of the game is ready to launch not just new courses to the game but also new drivers. 

“The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game has 42 characters to choose from—the biggest roster in the series!” reads the homepage of the Mario Kart 8 website.

In the latest update, alongside a Yoshi’s Island course, there is Birdo to be welcomed. But that is not it, there are five more! To have five more characters in a first-party Nintendo game has to be one of the most exciting things to gamers. 

But why these changes? Kotaku speculates.

The previous series of the game kept things in the Mushroom Kingdom. But now, with the latest Mario Kart 8 updates, things are changing and new characters are being introduced from other Nintendo franchises. This is exciting because this means the new characters could be coming from anywhere.

It could be someone new but expected at the same time, like Samus, an obvious choice, especially as a car based on her ship would be such an obvious combination. A metered-themed course would be even better.

There could also be a different take on existing characters. There are several Mario’s, so is there room for a second Link? Maybe a Wind Water Link? But it could be someone else too.

Considering the long history of Nintendo, the possibilities for Mario Kart 8 DLC characters are endless. It is a bit weird that characters from a Nintendo series racing car game F-zero are not featured anywhere in Mario Kart 8 which is about racing cars. There is even an F-Zero course plus vehicle in the game.

“Two upcoming waves of DLC are still to come, featuring more returning courses and characters from across the Mario Kart series,” Nintendo said in a press release. 

This is why Nintendo-related speculation is genuinely difficult.