The Mario Kart franchise has always been about racing with characters from the Mario universe — until now. With two upcoming downloadable content packs, Mario Kart 8 players will be able to add The Legend of Zelda's Link and the villager and Isabelle from Animal Crossing, according to a post from Nintendo's official UK store.
The first pack of the two adds Link, cat-suit Peach and tanooki-suit Mario, as well as four vehicles and eight tracks. It will be available in November of this year.
Pack 2, available in May 2015, adds Animal Crossing's Villager, Isabelle from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, the skeletal Dry Bowser, four vehicles and eight tracks.
"Each Add On Content pack will contain two new cups, each with four courses, which, in total, increases the number of available courses by 50 percent," the site reads. "The Add On Content packs include classics like Wario's Gold Mine from Mario Kart Wii, as well as new courses, some taking place in the worlds of The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing. New vehicles will also arrive with each pack, including the Blue Falcon kart representing the F-Zero franchise in the first AOC pack."
Both packs are listed for £7. In the U.S., Nintendo confirmed that packs will be available separately for $7.99, or as a bundle for $11.99.
Those who purchase both DLC packs will receive additional content as well: eight new colors each for Yoshi and Shy Guy. Those who pre-purchase those packs gain access to the new colors immediately.
For more on Mario Kart 8, check out our review. In May, Mario Kart director Kosuke Yabuki said he was open to adding non-Mario universe characters to the kart-racing franchise.