Forget Mario Kart 9, new Mario Kart 8 DLC adds 48 courses, plus Disney unveils FREE rival

While Mario Kart 9 may not have made an appearance during the latest Direct conference, Nintendo did treat fans to lots of new Mario Kart content. Instead of a sequel, Nintendo is planning to release a whopping 48 courses as paid DLC. It’s all part of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, which contains remastered versions of past race tracks. This includes Choco Mountain from the N64, Coconut Mall from the Wii, and even Tour Tokyo Blur from the smartphone game. The DLC will launch over a period of around 18 months, beginning with the first eight courses in March. Better yet, Nintendo has announced plans to give the DLC away for free if you subscribe to Switch Online + Expansion Pack. If you’re looking for something a bit more original, it was also announced that Disney SpeedStorm will launch as a free download this summer. The Mario Kart clone will feature famous Disney and Pixar characters, as well as season-based action, and cross-platform multiplayer.

The Nintendo Direct show kicked off with a look at Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, which appears to be a new Dynasty Warriors clone.

Nintendo has already partnered Koei Tecmo for Hyrule Warriors and its sequel Age of Calamity.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes has a June 24 release date, exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp was also previewed during the event, complete with fresh details on some of the new features.

The game will be fully voice acted, and will also contain the ability to fast-forward the action.

Elsewhere, Nintendo announced plans to release No Man’s Sky on Nintendo Switch.

We’re not sure how it’s possible, but the enormous space exploration game has a summer release date for the console.

Nintendo also unveiled a brand new game in the Mario Strikers series, titled Battle League Football.

“On this pitch, anything goes! Take the ball and go for goal when Mario Strikers: Battle League Football, comes to Nintendo Switch on 10/06.”

The Direct conference ended with a look at Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which launches later this year.