The Mario Kart Wii news has been spewing like a geyser as of late. First, was the news of the game’s imminent release. Then, news of Miis and online play. Now, comes news of what many had pondered; exactly how many players can battle against each other at once? The short answer? Eight.

The longer answer comes from Jeux France who posted an image (posted above) of the game’s battle mode featuring eight characters listed on the game’s mini-map. So, what does this mean for the game’s addictive multiplayer? Not much, actually. Eight players will be plenty to enjoy the battle mode with, and it certainly could have been worse. Recall Excite Truck and how it only allowed two player races?

What’s the bigger message fans are getting from Nintendo? Essentially, Nintendo might finally be ready to step up and play with the big boys when it comes to online play. It has never made sense that Nintendo fought against online play, since many of their titles are multiplayer classics. If any company should embrace the idea of “playing together” with others, it should probably be the company for whom two traveling gaming buddies are commercial mascots. Slow and steady will get them there.