Japanese 7-11 stores may be indicating when the next Mario Kart DLC tracks will arrive

An in-store advertising display at a Japanese convenience store may give clues as to when the next batch of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC tracks will be announced.

As spotted by Twitter user PushDustin (via GameXplain), 7-11 stores are currently advertising the game’s Booster Course Pass, which promises six waves of DLC courses.

The ad displays the first wave – which has been available since March – with the other five waves covered by question marks.

However, the ad also has a small note at the top, aimed at staff, which says it shouldn’t be displayed after July 17.

This has led to suggestions that the second wave of tracks may be set to be either announced or even released on July 18.

Although the store ad is by no means confirmation of this, previous incidents give the theory more credibility. When it was announced in June 2019 that the Hero from Dragon Quest would be coming to Super Smash Bros Ultimate, 7-11 starting running an ad for the DLC just a few days before Nintendo announced its release date.

Similarly, a 7-11 ad for Banjo-Kazooie‘s then-upcoming Smash Bros DLC started appearing in shops on September 2, 2019, then Nintendo announced on September 4 that it would be released that same day.

Since the first wave of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC tracks was released on March 18, this would mean a potential July 18 release for wave 2 would be arriving exactly four months later.

Should Nintendo decide to release waves every four months, the final wave would be released in November 2023, fitting in with Nintendo’s promise that everything would be available by the end of 2023.

Further reading

A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe datamine may have revealed some upcoming DLC tracks

A new banner found in the game's data shows more circuits not yet announced

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, which costs $24.99 / £24.99, provides 48 DLC tracks across its six waves.

The courses include remakes of classic tracks from across the series from games such as Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Double Dash, Mario Kart Wii, as well as handheld entries and the mobile game, Mario Kart Tour.

Players who subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack receive access to the DLC as part of their subscription.