Recently, Nintendo released their latest mobile game, Mario Kart World. As expected, the game features beloved characters from the Mario franchise such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser. However, some fans were disappointed that other fan-favorite characters were not included in the game. In response, Nintendo has explained their reasoning behind the decision.
A Mario Kart Game Justice to Mario
The new Mario Kart World title, supposed to be on the release date of Nintendo Switch 2, is making headlines not only due to its new track selection and mechanics but also exclusion of non-Mario “guest” characters to be included by the game.
According to a recent interview with longtime producer Kosuke Yabuki on Game Informer, it has been established that Mario Kart World will feature only characters inside the Mario universe.
Why not No Link, Samus or Villager?
Successors such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe excited the crowds when such brands like Link (Zelda), Isabelle (Animal Crossing), Villager, and even Inkling Girl (Splatoon) are possible characters to turn into racers.
Nonetheless, guest characters were justified by Yabuki who said they took away Mario flavor. Maintaining the cast as Mario-only allowed the development team to create a more cohesive, surprising and authentic-feeling world to the spirit of the franchise.
When we released Mario Kart World, it was our intention that people would be delighted and surprised at the capabilities of the Mario series characters, and not as an obligatory addition to invite characters of other franchises to appear. — Kosuke Yabuki
Concentrate on World-Building and Surprise
The main ideology in the roster of Mario Kart World is to entertain with recognition. Instead of using the cross-franchise cameos as a buzz creator, Nintendo is going further into expanding Mario world itself. More quirky twists on popular characters such as Toadette and Wiggler or even King Boo or Petey Piranha should be expected.
According to Yabuki, the strict concentration on Mario characters enabled the team to produce a game that is surprising in another sense the focus was on clever animation of characters, new tracks, and interaction that feels naturally Mario.
Perfect example of Moo Moo Meadows Cow
The other playful aspect noted during the interview was how the members of the team were ecstatic to transform support characters, such as the cow of the Moo Moo Meadows, into possible competitors. This is how the authors of the game demonstrate the lighthearted self-referential vibe, which the developers need but have no use of an outside IP to achieve.
An Opposition to Smash Bros.
Whereas Super Smash Bros. Ultimate made its triumph in being a giant multi-franchise crossover, Yabuki and the Mario Kart World team headed the opposite direction: being dense rather than being broad. The Nintendo is betting on being more focused and polished by going Mario-only in the cast to better honor the history and charisma of the Marioverse.
What this might imply in the Future
Additional interesting kart designs and customization Mario-world style
Other possible hidden or surprise Mario characters taken out of characters that may have been lesser known Role-playing On the archives of the interviewee during the October 2006 interview, it was stated that it may have a role play. This may be true to the characters he started to draw from the few games he played. However, he did not elaborate it.
Less legalities and trademark mismatch of tones
