Mario Kart 9 is Reportedly in 'Active Development' by Nintendo

Mario Kart 9 is in active development and could be teased this year by Nintendo, according to a report by gamesindustry.biz.

The inside scoop was delivered courtesy of Tokyo-based game industry insider Dr. Serkan Toto, who was one of the analysts who was invited to gamesindustry.biz's annual panel piece speculating the biggest gaming news events to drop in 2022.

"I am aware Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still selling very well on the Nintendo Switch," Toto told gamesindustry.biz, "but Mario Kart 9 is in active development (and comes with a new twist) and Nintendo could tease it this year. On mobile, Nintendo has been very silent since Mario Kart Tour's launch in 2019, but I think 2022 is when we will see an established IP arriving on smart devices again."

Mario Kart 9 being officially revealed by Nintendo this year would be pretty darn great to see.

The iconic arcade racing series' last flagship in Mario Kart 8 was released back on May 30, 2014, for the Wii U.

Three years later, its enhanced Nintendo Switch deluxe version debuted worldwide on April 28, 2017, complete with reworked features, all previously released DLC, additional content, gameplay tweaks, 1080p graphics while docked, and more.

However, with all the success that Mario Kart 8 has seen with both of its releases — becoming the best-selling racing genre video game in U.S. history — it's pretty clear that the marathon must continue in the form of a new chapter for the series fully dedicated to the Nintendo Switch's capabilities.

As Toto also alluded to in his statement, Mario Kart 9 is expected to bring "a new twist" to the series, so if and when Nintendo makes the announcement, expect it to drive some major buzz in the gaming world.