A new rumor is suggesting Mario Kart 9 is in development at Nintendo, and it could be revealed as soon as this year.

The news that Mario Kart 9 is in development comes from games industry consultant and analyst Dr. Serkan Toto (via Gamesindustry.biz), where the industry rep said not only is the game in development, it will feature “a new twist.”

“I am aware Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still selling very well on the Nintendo Switch, but Mario Kart 9 is in active development (and comes with a new twist),” Toto said. “Nintendo could tease it this year.”

The most recent main game in the franchise, Mario Kart 8, was originally released way back in 2014 for the Wii U. Its subsequent port with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came right after the Nintendo Switch’s worldwide launch, in April of 2017. To date Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold over 37 million copies as of August 2021.

The industry analyst then went on to talk up Nintendo’s ever-growing approach to official games for smartphones, a totally new revenue stream for the Kyoto publisher.

“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,” He said.

Spinoff Mario Kart games have been released since then like the aforementioned Mario Kart Tour in September 2019, and the augmented reality real-life kart racer Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit in October 2020.

As with any rumor, take this with a grain of salt however he has been correct on previous leaks/predictions, like Nintendo’s first smartphone game and their embrace of smartphone games.