There has been some speculation regarding new DLC characters coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and it has gotten even more likely because of a recent datamine. Although the game was released way back in 2017, it has not had a significant history of updates in terms of new playable characters. Instead, new tracks and cups have been the focus. However, Nintendo could quite possibly be planning a bit of a surprise for Mario Kart fans.
In February 2023, the first Nintendo Direct of the year announced a new Booster Course Pass DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This got fans excited about a brand new track and a single new character, Birdo. A Twitter user, teebeeYT, claims to have found a clue about what’s coming next for Mario Kart 8’s roster of characters. An apparent leak of a long list of new drivers for the upcoming Booster Course Pass has made its way onto social media. File names for what seems to be a great many DLC drivers have supposedly been found in the game’s files, including Catherine, King Bob-omb, Diddy Kong, and Pauline, among many others. The leak comes from an anonymous source who claims to be a Nintendo employee, but there has been no confirmation of how authentic this information is.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Datamine May Hint at New DLC Characters
Mario Kart Booster Course Pass had a leak it'd appear. Major because of the date 2/6/23 (before Direct with Birdo or wave 4 trailer)
Seems we're getting King Bob-omb, Petey Piranha, Hammer Bro, Chargin Chuck, Monty Mole, Diddy, Dixie, Funky, SNES Mario, Kamek, Pauline and Nabbit pic.twitter.com/nNogiMtKJb— tee (@teebeeYT) March 6, 2023
If this leak reflects Nintendo’s real plans, it would be quite unexpected because the only DLC character the game has gotten was Birdo. However, there are some things that seem a bit fishy. For one, the leak contains 14 new characters, a significant increase from the original roster. Birdo will come in wave four of the DLC, releasing on March 9, and with only two more waves left, it seems like a lot to add in such a short time compared to the past.
Additionally, these characters have not been found in the game’s data, but were only leaked by someone claiming to work on the game. There is no independent confirmation for the leak’s validity. However, many of the new drivers in this leak appear in the mobile game, Mario Kart Tour. Given that Mario Kart Tour has had numerous updates throughout the years, their addition to Mario Kart 8 is not out of the question.
