Nintendo Direct headlined by Mario Kart 8’s 48 new upcoming racetracks

Enlarge / What better way to celebrate 43.3 million copies sold than to add some paid DLC? (credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo fans who watched the game maker's latest announcement-filled Nintendo Direct video may have hoped to see reveals of previously announced Switch sequels like Metroid Prime 4 or the sequel to Breath of the Wild. Sadly, those long-awaited games failed to emerge once again, but Nintendo still delivered a few Switch surprises in its Wednesday presentation.

In a move we didn't necessarily see coming, Nintendo finally gave the whopping 43.3 million owners of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe something to look forward to: the Booster Course Pass. This gargantuan 48-racetrack collection will retail for $24.99, and it contains remastered versions of tracks from every prior Mario Kart game, along with the mobile-only Mario Kart Tour. Its contents will drop as six separate collections of eight tracks each, with the first pack landing on March 18.

Time for your wildest Mario Kart racetrack predictions and requests. (credit: Nintendo)

Interestingly, the Booster Course Pass will come at no additional cost to anyone who subscribes to the $49.99 Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. The expansion pack appears to be Nintendo's response to complaints about this newer service tier's otherwise lean content.

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