Mario Kart 8 launching on May 30th with Koopalings in tow

Already promised for May, today’s Nintendo Direct saw the company provide a solid release date for Mario Kart 8.

We were also treated to a new trailer, which revealed that Bowser’s minions, the Koopalings, will appear as playable characters for the first time. Players will be able to speed around the game’s gravity-defying tracks as Iggy, Lemmy, Larry, Ludwig, Morton, Roy and Wendy.

The Wii U exclusive was announced at E3 2013, and we now know that there will be 12-player multiplayer, the introduction of Baby Mario, Luigi and Peach, and plans for Mario Kart TV where players can watch replay data.

Mario Kart 8 releases across Europe and North America on May 30th.