Nintendo was already rumored to be working on new Mario Kart 9 and Pikmin 4 for the Nintendo Switch. Those rumors have just gained more strength.
The Japanese company was discovered earlier today to have renewed trademarks for both Mario Kart and Pikmin and that too just before its press briefing at the all-digital Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week.
While Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to rack up sales, a new Mario Kart 9 has been rumored to be in development for months now. The game has been said to be taking a different approach by crossing over into multiple Nintendo franchises.
Mario Kart has previously featured guest characters like Mario Kart 8 did with Link from The Legend of Zelda but only as post-release expansions. Mario Kart 9 might possibly be going further from the start.
Within the same vein, a new Pikmin 4 has also been rumored to be in development. The game was reportedly never a priority within Nintendo and the reason for its extensive development cycle which apparently has already taken nearly four years. Pikmin 4 by all means should hence be seeing the light of day.
Incidentally, a couple of months back, developer Niantic, the studio behind Pokémon GO, announced a new partnership with Nintendo for an augmented reality game based on the Pikmin franchise.
It hence does seem like that Nintendo is preparing to announce Mario Kart 9 and Pikmin 4. E3 2021 takes place next week with the Nintendo Direct presentation taking place on June 15. Nintendo will presumably be using Mario Kart 9 and Pikmin 4 to showcase the capabilities of its new Nintendo Switch Pro console, which should be getting announced in the days to come.
The new model will reportedly have a larger OLED screen for 4K output alongside a new dock. Nintendo Switch Pro has been said to be launching around September or October before the 2021 holiday season begins. By that account, Mario Kart 9 and Pikmin 4 might possibly be releasing during the same window.
