Sorry Nintendo fans, Link is never joining the Mario Kart World roster

Mario Kart World is filled with characters from across the Mario universe, from iconic protagonists to obscure enemies, but it’s missing its predecessor’s guest appearances from Link, Isabelle, and the Inklings. That’s because, according to producer Kosuke Yabuki, they weren’t “necessary.” As the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch title and the first brand-new Mario Kart game since 2014, Mario Kart World had a lot riding on its success. Instead of leaning on an expanded cast via Nintendo crossovers, the team instead gave us the largest roster of racers in the series’ history while only using Mario characters. Yabuki told Ouest France that “it would have seemed incongruous to us” to pad out the Mario Kart World character roster with other IPs, “given everything we could already do with Mario.” In my opinion, this decision works perfectly. Mario Kart 8’s isolated tracks made playing as an Animal Crossing villager alongside Yoshi and Peach feel relatively normal, but these characters would feel out of place in the new Switch game’s open-world environment. Plus, plenty of the more obscure NPC racer additions have gained popularity in the community, namely the Moo Moo Meadows cow. I’m hoping for a content update down the line that will give it one or two Mario Kart World costumes. Continue reading Sorry Nintendo fans, Link is never joining the Mario Kart World roster MORE FROM POCKET TACTICS: The best Switch games, The best upcoming Switch games, The best Switch RPGs

Jun 23, 2025 - 22:10

Sorry Nintendo fans, Link is never joining the Mario Kart World roster

Mario Kart World is filled with characters from across the Mario universe, from iconic protagonists to obscure enemies, but it’s missing its predecessor’s guest appearances from Link, Isabelle, and the Inklings. That’s because, according to producer Kosuke Yabuki, they weren’t “necessary.”

As the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch title and the first brand-new Mario Kart game since 2014, Mario Kart World had a lot riding on its success. Instead of leaning on an expanded cast via Nintendo crossovers, the team instead gave us the largest roster of racers in the series’ history while only using Mario characters. Yabuki told Ouest France that “it would have seemed incongruous to us” to pad out the Mario Kart World character roster with other IPs, “given everything we could already do with Mario.”

In my opinion, this decision works perfectly. Mario Kart 8’s isolated tracks made playing as an Animal Crossing villager alongside Yoshi and Peach feel relatively normal, but these characters would feel out of place in the new Switch game’s open-world environment. Plus, plenty of the more obscure NPC racer additions have gained popularity in the community, namely the Moo Moo Meadows cow. I’m hoping for a content update down the line that will give it one or two Mario Kart World costumes.

Continue reading Sorry Nintendo fans, Link is never joining the Mario Kart World roster

MORE FROM POCKET TACTICS: The best Switch games, The best upcoming Switch games, The best Switch RPGs