Mario Kart 8 meets esports in new Disney XD special

Mario Kart 8 can be a fiercely competitive experience, as anyone who's played the Wii U game with others can attest. Nintendo's World Championships during E3 2015 was a prominent testing ground for the game's esports potential, and now it's returning to the arena in Clash of Karts: Mario Kart 8, a one-off TV special airing on cable channel Disney XD.

According to a press release, Clash of Karts will feature eight particular skilled gamers and pair them up with YouTubers ostensibly familiar to Disney's demographic, with names including Strawburry 17 and SethBling.

The teams will compete in multiple rounds of Mario Kart 8 in the hopes of earning the title of Kart champion.

Set for a Dec. 5 airdate, it will start at 8 p.m. ET and run a full hour.

This isn't Disney XD's first gaming-themed show. The channel's current programming includes Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything, which focuses on a retired teen pro-gamer looking to get back into the competitive side of gaming.