Mario Kart 8 Japanese Update Includes Mercedes-Benz Karts, TV Map

Beginning August 27th, the Japanese version of Mario Kart 8 will be updated with tons of new features and content. Nintendo is committed to bringing enhanced gameplay and interactive experiences to Mario Kart 8, in an attempt to maintain consumer appeal and community interest.

A tweet from the official Japanese Twitter account for Nintendo revealed the information via a social media post, and Twitter user “Cheesemeister” offered a brief translation for English speaking gamers. You can check it out below.

The link in the original tweet actually points to a page on

[[ ah ref http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/amkj/dlc/index.html ]] Nintendo's official web page where we get to see a trailer in action detailing some of the new content in the update, including the three new Mercedes-Benz karts, such as the GLA, the W25 Silver Arrow and the 300 SL Roadster.

The Silver Arrow actually looks pretty awesome in the game and actually matches the other karts as well. It looks really sleek. Each of the three karts also come with some measure of customization, enabling users to give them a bit of their own distinctive look. You can see them in action with the trailer below.

[[ ah ref http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/amkj/dlc/index.html ]]

Unfortunately, there is no time stamp on when the DLC will arrive for those outside of Japan. We had previously known that the Mercedes-Benz DLC would be arriving and that Nintendo had plans on making it available to North America and Europe, but the time stamp was never really made public.

We can basically expect it to arrive at some point after the Japanese version has been released and ensured that it works properly for everyone, I imagine.

Additionally, the update will include a new TV screen map that is no longer relegated to showing up on the GamePad only. This will enable those who aren't using the GamePad to see the map on their television. It was a common issue for some people who preferred using the Pro Controller but needed to keep an eye on opponents and the course layout. This should also help with competitive online matches, too.

Mario Kart 8 is currently available the world around, exclusively for the Wii U. The game has already sold more than 2 million copies and continues to move units. The spark from Mario Kart 8 has helped get Nintendo back into the fold with the Wii U and the company is wisely leveraging the commercialization of the product in any way that they can to keep it relevant in today's marketplace.

Hopefully Nintendo will make an announcement soon for the availability of the latest bit of DLC for Mario Kart 8. We'll keep you posted on when it eventually becomes available outside of Japan.