Mario Kart World Isn’t Titled Mario Kart 9 Because Nintendo Wants To “Take The Series To The Next Level”

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Nintendo explained their rationale behind calling the latest installment of the Mario Kart series as “Mario Kart: World” instead of “Mario Kart 9”.

The new Ask the Developer interview with the team behind Mario Kart World provided plenty of insights. When asked about why they chose ‘Mario Kart World’ instead of ‘Mario Kart 9’, the team’s producer, Kosuke Yabuki, gave a clear explanation.

Yabuki clarified that if their goal was simply to include additional courses in the game, it likely would have been called Mario Kart 9. However, they aimed for something more this time around – to elevate the series to a new level. Consequently, instead of increasing the number, they opted for a fresh title, Mario Kart World. This new title was incorporated into the concept art from the early stages of development.

The title, Mario Kart World, is inspired by the interconnected nature of its tracks forming one expansive open world. The game offers a Free Roam mode, allowing players to navigate and tackle challenges away from the designated tracks. Yabuki envisioned this concept, as well as the name Mario Kart World, quite early in development, believing that with advanced technology, it was feasible to smoothly transition between courses and create a unified, massive world.

The task of transitioning to an open-world game and incorporating dynamic weather was a colossal challenge for the development team, as they had to meticulously prepare all the necessary art to depict realistic time and weather changes in a smooth manner. Art director Masaaki Ishikawa confessed later in the interview that “the magnitude of the work involved was daunting,” and at one point, they almost abandoned this aspect entirely.

Historically, titles of Mario Kart games have been either indicative of the platform they are on or their position in the series. The latest addition, Mario Kart World, is among those like Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario Kart Tour that deviate from this naming pattern.

On June 5, Mario Kart World is set to debut concurrently with the Nintendo Switch 2. To secure your copy of the game upon its release, refer to our preorder guide at TopMob for the Nintendo Switch 2.

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2025-05-21 18:09