Shigeru Miyamoto may well be a Nintendo legend, known for giving the world iconic characters such as Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong, but even so, fans have noticed that his name has been omitted from the credits of Mario Kart World.
Mario Kart World is the latest iteration of Nintendo’s racing series, debuting last week alongside the launch of the Switch 2. Many have now raced through World’s variety of tracks, from Acorn Heights to Whistlestop Summit.
However, Miyamoto is not mentioned in the credits for Mario Kart World, despite being an instrumental part of the series’ legacy. This means that Miyamoto’s last Mario Kart credit was with the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
“It definitely feels weird, especially as the ‘father’ of Mario,” one person mused on Bluesky while discussing Miyamoto’s lack of credit in Mario Kart World.
However another suggested that, perhaps, the creator asked not to be credited if he wasn’t actually part of the development, so that “people would focus on the new” team.
“I would feel like that is a classy move,” they reasoned.
Miyamoto has steadily moved away from game development itself in recent years, taking on more of an advisory role within Nintendo. As such, this isn’t the first time Miyamoto has been absent from the credits of a Nintendo game. He also doesn’t feature in mobile game Mario Kart Tour, nor does he pop up in credits for last year’s Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
Shigeru Miyamoto is not in the credits of Mario Kart World.
Not even as a Special Thanks.
— Stealth40k (@stealth40k.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Miyamoto isn’t the only name fans have been surprised to see missing from Mario Kart World. Last week, Samantha Kelly confirmed she has been replaced as the voice of Princess Peach and Toad after 18 years, and therefore does not feature in the latest Kart entry.
If you want a little steer in the right direction, be sure to check out our Mario Kart World guides. Here is one on How to unlock all characters in Mario Kart World to get you started.
