Mario Kart World: Originally Planned for Switch 1

Mario Kart World producer revealed that the game was initially developed for the original Nintendo Switch. Dive into the fascinating journey of its development and the significant changes made when the project transitioned to the Nintendo Switch 2.

Mario Kart World Developer Insights

Prototyping Began in 2017

Mario Kart World, the latest installment in the beloved racing-kart series, is set to launch alongside the Nintendo Switch 2. However, its roots trace back to 2017, when the developers were still working on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

In the latest edition of Nintendo’s Ask the Developer series, published on May 21, the team behind Mario Kart World shared their development journey. Producer Kosuke Yabuki explained that after creating a prototype in March 2017, they officially began working on the project by the end of that year. He highlighted that having perfected the formula with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, they were eager to expand their horizons.

Yabuki also clarified why the new title wouldn't be called Mario Kart 9, despite fan expectations. He stated, "Our goal was to transcend simply adding more courses and elevate the series to new heights. That's why we decided to forgo numbering and introduce a fresh title." He added, "So, we'd already added ‘MARIO KART WORLD’ to the concept art from the early stages of development."

Shifting to Switch 2

Programming Director Kenta Sato revealed that the idea of shifting development to the Switch 2 came about in 2020. At that time, while the team had a general idea of the next-gen Switch's capabilities, they didn't have access to actual development units until later. "Until then, we just had to proceed with development based on provisional estimates," Sato explained.

The developers were keen on ensuring their vision aligned with the performance of the new console. Sato noted, "The Switch's performance was sufficient for many games, but including everything we wanted in this expansive world would have resulted in a game that couldn't maintain 60 fps and would suffer from constant framerate drops."

Once they had a clear understanding of the Switch 2's capabilities, their concerns dissipated. Sato shared, "I remember being overjoyed when I discovered we could express even more than we'd originally set out to."

Upgrading to the Switch 2 also meant enhancing the quality of their assets. Art Director Masaaki Ishikawa explained that the graphics needed to be more detailed. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, the art team was relieved and excited about the possibilities this opened up. The shift allowed them to enhance the game's visuals significantly, such as adding more trees to the terrain and enriching the overall art, which were previously restricted by the original Switch's performance limitations.

Cow Being a Playable Character

Fans were thrilled to see Cow introduced as a playable character in the game's trailer. Previously, Cow had only appeared as a non-playable character, often as part of the background or an obstacle.

Ishikawa explained that each new Mario Kart game introduces a fresh character to race as. He recounted, "And then one of the designers came up with that silly sketch of Cow cruising along, and I thought to myself, ‘This is it!’ (Laughs) So that's when we realized the course surroundings actually contained a lot of untapped resources." He was pleasantly surprised that Cow's inclusion felt natural and opened up possibilities for adding more NPCs as playable characters, fitting well within their vision of an interconnected world.

Beyond introducing Cow as a racer, the developers have put significant effort into various aspects of the game to achieve their goal of creating a richly interconnected world. They focused on incorporating diverse types of food to enhance the world's diversity, made adjustments to the karts to better navigate various terrains, and constantly refined the tracks.

With these exciting updates and insights, fans are eagerly anticipating the return of the iconic plumber in a vast new racing world. Nintendo is set to launch one of its most beloved franchises on the Switch 2 from day one.

Mario Kart World is scheduled for release on June 5, 2025, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2. Stay tuned for more updates by checking out our related articles below!