Breath Of The Wild Link Is Now Playable In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe For Free

A year later and Nintendo is still updating Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. In some ways it would seem unheard of for a company to keep supporting a title a year after release, and even more than that, making the releases free. Nintendo apparently has been in a very giving mood, and the Big 'N' decided that it was time to give back to the community for the millions of copies that that were purchased for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo decided to give back to the community by unleashing a free update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe featuring Link from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The announcement came via a trailer, revealing that Link and his motorcycle from Breath of the Wild are currently playable as a free update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

The trailer starts by showcasing Link in his garb, along with the motorcycle that was added in the last major update for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in the expansion pack called The Champions Ballad.

Once we see the motorcycle and Link, we then see Link doing what he does best, shooting turtle shells, spinning out opponents, gliding across gaps, and riding over walls toward the finish line. The update is currently live in version 1.6.0, featuring Link in his Champion's Tunic, and riding the Master Cycle Zero as his vehicle.

This coincides with another crossover that Nintendo recently made possible with The Legend of Zelda, where Link also joined the hunters in Capcom's Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate to go on the sandbox adventures to hunt down some of the biggest and most legendary monsters.

If you were hoping that Link would drop by Monster Hunter World, well that's unlikely given that the game isn't available on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo surely wouldn't like to see one of its top branded mascots appearing on the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 for that matter.

In the case of Monster Hunter, he has his bow, and the ability to perform the same attacks from Breath of the Wild. There's also the inclusion of his sword and shield combo when fighting up close.

This sort of cross-branded promotion is definitely going to help further expand Nintendo's iconic properties out beyond their typical marketing domain.

However, in the case of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, Link won't be making an appearance until August 28th next month.

In the meantime, you'll still be able to get in your time with the blonde-haired elf as a rocking, dangerous, motorcycle-riding competitor in Nintendo's own Mario Kart 8: Deluxe.

If you already own the game just boot up your Nintendo Switch and make sure you're connected online to download the update automatically, as pointed out over on the official website. If you don't own a copy of the game, now would probably be a good time to get it so you can play the multiplayer online for free, because in September the Nintendo Network premium accounts go live.