There is a certain inevitability to Mario Kart 9. Although technically unconfirmed, its predecessor, Mario Kart 8, was one of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games of all time. A sequel to it is, by all accounts, guaranteed.

The good news for kart racing fans is that it won't be long before "Mario Kart 9" is officially confirmed. According to industry analyst Dr. Serkan Toto (via GamesIndustry.biz), Nintendo could announce a sequel this year.

This news is sure to please Mario Kart fans who are probably getting a little tired of playing Mario Kart 8 since it is nearly eight years old. After all, there are only so many times you can outrun your friends and family on the same dozen or so courses before you want a new one.

Toto has not said when the game will be released to the public, nor when the game itself will be released, but has stated that "a new twist has been added. This is not particularly surprising, as "Mario Kart" is no stranger to gimmicks designed to shake up the series' traditional formula. Mario Kart 8 introduced an anti-gravity course, while the previous version on the Nintendo 3DS added the ability to glide and drive underwater.

Toto works for Kantan Games, a Japanese consultancy specializing in the video game industry, so there is no doubt that these claims are credible. Of course, Nintendo is notoriously unpredictable, so it seems logical that Mario Kart 9 would be announced in the near future, but Nintendo often marches to the beat of its own drum.

The last entry in the popular series, Mario Kart 8, was originally released for the Wii U in 2014 before a deluxe version was released for the Nintendo Switch in April 2017. This Switch version has become the franchise's best-selling title, selling approximately 40 million units as of November 2020. This number will only increase over the next 14 months as the game continues to rank high on the sales charts.

Curiously, Nintendo has never released two main Mario Kart titles on a single console. This has led fans to speculate that Mario and friends will next take the wheel of Karting on the Switch's successor, but there is always a first time for everything.

Not many party games are as universally loved as Mario Kart, so a fresh entry is certainly welcome after all this time. Perhaps the announcement of Mario Kart 9 will coincide with the rumored announcement of the Nintendo Switch Pro?