Nintendo's Mario Kart World, released for the Nintendo Switch 2, has maintained a strict focus on characters exclusively from the Mario universe. Kosuke Yabuki, the game's producer, stated that including guest characters from other Nintendo franchises such as Zelda, Splatoon, or Animal Crossing was considered unnecessary and would have been incongruous with the game's design. Since its launch, the game has received mixed reactions from fans, particularly regarding its online multiplayer mode. A patch introduced changes to online course selection, replacing the standard three-lap races with connecting 'intermission' races, which many players found frustrating. This update sparked notable criticism from the player community. In response, Nintendo released a major update (version 1.2.0) that made CPU opponents easier and added a feature to notify players when they have collected all items in Free Roam mode, although item locations still do not appear on the map. This update has been viewed as a positive step toward addressing player concerns and improving the overall experience of Mario Kart World.