Don't Expect Zelda, Animal Crossing or Other Nintendo Franchises to Pop Up in Mario Kart World, Producer Suggests — 'It Would Have Seemed Incongruous'

Nintendo looks set to keep Mario Kart World's focus firmly on the Mushroom Kingdom — so don't expect the return of cameos from Zelda, Splatoon or Animal Crossing.

Whereas Mario Kart 8 welcomed Link, Zelda, Isabelle and the Inklings to its character roster, the even longer cast list found in Mario Kart World lacks any faces from outside the Mario universe. Even the ability to race as your Mii, a staple since Mario Kart Wii, is also gone.

Now, Nintendo has addressed its U-turn on characters from beyond the Mushroom Kingdom's borders, and noted that it was a deliberate choice to keep Mario Kart World's, er, world, from feeling "incongruous".

"As developers, it would have seemed incongruous to us to add characters from other games to this universe," Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki told Ouest-France. "And it didn't seem necessary to us, given everything we could already do with Mario."

When asked specifically whether Yabuki had considered adding characters from another of one of his Nintendo projects, Arms, the producer replied: "Absolutely not!"

"We inevitably wonder how the players will perceive this casting," Yabuki concluded. "But there are so many characters and so many costumes that every player is sure to find what they are looking for."

While the lack of characters from other Nintendo games might seem like a backstep for the franchise, it's perhaps not a surprise to see Mario Kart World take this route considering its firm foundation as an open-world rendition of the Mushroom Kingdom.

From Peach's Castle to Bowser's Fortress, Mario Kart World's open map is designed to make you feel like you're on a roadtrip through Mario's backyard. Explaining why Samus or Tom Nook was suddenly there in this scenario becomes more difficult.

Likewise with tracks focused on non-Mario areas. Mario Kart 8 offered areas themed around Hyrule, and courses that paid tribute to F-Zero and Excitebike. It's hard to see how something similar could work in Mario Kart World.

And then there's the wider focus for Nintendo — which through its Super Nintendo Land theme park and Super Mario Bros. Movie is creating a more discrete identity for its beloved and lucrative Mario characters to stand apart from other franchises.

Take, for instance, the example of the company's movie efforts, with an animated Mario sequel in development that's not expected to relate in any way to its live-action film plans to adapt The Legend of Zelda.

Nintendo fans hoping for a big Switch 2 crossover title still have the hope of a new Super Smash Bros. — though creator Masahiro Sakurai is currently busy building a new Kirby game instead.

Check out our Mario Kart World guide and learn how to unlock every hidden Mario Kart World character, plus how Kamek Unlocks work - you’ll need them to unlock NPC Drivers. We’ve also got a guide to all the Mario Kart World food scattered across the open world and where to find it, which will help you get all the Mario Kart World outfits and costumes permanently.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social