No Zelda or Animal Crossing in Mario Kart: Producer

Nintendo appears committed to keeping Mario Kart World centered exclusively on the Mushroom Kingdom – meaning iconic cameos from Zelda, Splatoon, and Animal Crossing won't be making a comeback.

While Mario Kart 8 famously included crossover characters like Link, Zelda, Isabelle, and the Inklings, Mario Kart World's expanded roster noticeably excludes any non-Mario characters. Even the fan-favorite Mii racers, a series staple since Mario Kart Wii, have been omitted.

Nintendo has now explained this strategic shift, describing it as a deliberate design choice to maintain the game's cohesive Mushroom Kingdom aesthetic and avoid tonal dissonance.

"From a development perspective, incorporating characters from other game universes would feel inconsistent with our vision," explained Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki in an interview with Ouest-France. "With the wealth of content available within the Mario universe alone, we didn't see the necessity."

When pressed about potential inclusions from Yabuki's other Nintendo projects like Arms, the producer responded emphatically: "Definitely not!"

"We carefully considered player expectations regarding character selection," Yabuki added. "But given our extensive roster and customization options, we're confident every player will find characters that suit their preferences."

While the absence of crossover characters might appear regressive, this decision aligns with Mario Kart World's foundational premise as an open-world exploration of the Mushroom Kingdom.

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The game's sprawling open world – spanning from Peach's Castle to Bowser's Fortress – creates an authentic Mushroom Kingdom road trip experience. This setting makes appearances by characters like Samus or Tom Nook feel particularly out of place.

This design philosophy also extends to track selection. Mario Kart 8's Hyrule-themed courses and nods to F-Zero and Excitebike wouldn't naturally fit Mario Kart World's Mushroom Kingdom-focused approach.

The decision reflects Nintendo's broader strategy of strengthening Mario's standalone identity – evident in projects like Super Nintendo Land theme parks and The Super Mario Bros. Movie – while differentiating it from their other franchises.

This separation strategy extends to Nintendo's film endeavors – the upcoming animated Mario sequel won't connect to their planned live-action Legend of Zelda adaptation.

Series fans anticipating major Switch 2 crossover games can still hope for a new Super Smash Bros. installment – though creator Masahiro Sakurai is currently focused on developing a new Kirby title.

Explore our comprehensive Mario Kart World guide covering character unlocks (including Kamek's special criteria), NPC Driver acquisitions, plus locations for all collectible food items that grant permanent costume unlocks.