New Details On This Year's Japanese Mario Kart Arcade GP DX Update

When unveiled back in 2013, Bandai Namco Amusements stated that their new arcade exclusive Mario Kart Arcade GP DX title would feature online support for annual updates. Japan already has enjoyed a major update to the game in that time and they have another on the way.

In Japan, Bandai Namco has pulled back the curtains on what some of that first update will entail, at least for their region. I have reached out to BNA America for comment but they do not have any announcements to make at this time. The Western version of this launched last year so it is a little bit behind; we do know that for Western versions, 5 years of updates are planned which include new karts, tracks and items. There is a good chance these updates will apply to the globe some time afterwards, we will just have to wait and see.

The Japanese update will include what they call a “National Battle Mode”, which is a term they use to indicate live cross-site play. I think such a mode would be of great value in the West since operators have to pay $50/mo per seat for the game and it has to be online to be active. Doing such a thing for an arcade racing game has been done before in the West (see GlobalVR’s NASCAR Team Racing; it had also been tried out with SF Rush 2049) although it is more prominent in Japan and China.

As expected it will include new karts which have a focus on “performance” and “high speed”

And finally, from what they have announced, mirror courses will now be available

More info will be along as I find out about it but as mentioned I think the most significant update they could provide would be a US National Battle Mode. The game is already arcade exclusive giving it appeal but I think this would help build on that moreso than extra karts/courses/items. What are your thoughts about the updates? What would you like to see Namco offer for Western versions of the game?