Cow in Mario Kart World emerged from a sketch and became a playable driver

The cast of Mario Kart World, exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2, caught attention since its reveal for including unusual figures — and among them, the now famous Cow, who went from being an obstacle on the tracks to becoming an official driver. Nintendo finally explained how this unlikely transition happened.

The idea came from a sketch made by a designer during the early stages of developing a new track. Producer Kosuke Yabuki, a franchise veteran, commented that the Cow had already appeared in previous games, but only as part of the scenery or as an obstacle. When they saw the draft, the team saw an opportunity:

“Considering that the previous game has many characters, we felt it was a good chance to expand the cast in a fun way.”, stated Yabuki.

According to Masaaki Ishikawa from the planning department, it was this simple sketch that prompted a reevaluation of what the Mario Kart universe could offer in terms of characters:

“One of the designers drew that funny sketch of the Cow driving and I thought: ‘That's it!’ (Laughs). That's when we realized that the surroundings of the tracks contained many untapped resources.”

This more creative approach to the game's visual ecosystem led to the concept of “NPC drivers” — secondary and environmental characters that can now be chosen to compete. The initiative also opened up space for figures like Cheep Cheep and Catubola to enter the roster of playable characters.

Kenta Sato reinforced that the name used internally is indeed “NPC drivers”, and that although the tone of the reveal was humorous, the process of integrating these characters was meticulous. Atsuko Asahi, responsible for audio direction, detailed the technical challenges:

“When non-playable characters like the Cow become playable, it requires them to express emotions. We took care to portray their personalities in a way that they don't seem inferior to classics like Mario. The voice team went through an extensive trial and error process to achieve the ideal sounds.”

The Cow, who until then only caused accidents on the Moo Moo Meadows track, now has a guaranteed place on the starting grid, the result of an approach that mixes creative freedom with respect for the franchise's classic base. The inclusion is part of Nintendo's strategy to keep Mario Kart fresh, without relying solely on main characters or obvious reuses.

Mario Kart World does not have an official release date yet, but it is already among the most anticipated titles for the new console.