Nintendo doesn't respond to every rumor and bit of speculation on the internet, but it has stepped up to push back against speculation that AI-generated images were used in Mario Kart World.
Some viewers of Nintendo's last Treehouse presentation for the kart racer suspected that AI-generated images were used in Mario Kart World on the billboards that fill part of the background on the tracks. Specifically, they thought artwork of a bridge and one immediately next to it of a skyscraper being built were AI-generated. A third billboard featuring a car with exaggerated windows was also thought to be AI-generated.
In a statement sent to Eurogamer, a Nintendo spokesperson bluntly shut down the suspicions that AI-generated content was used in Mario Kart World.
"AI-generated images were not used in the development of Mario Kart World," they said.
The images in question might look wonky to players now, but it's worth noting that Nintendo is likely updating and polishing details like these background billboards as much as possible, leading up to the release of the game and the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5.
These billboards could have even been placeholders at the time of the Treehouse presentation that will be swapped with entirely different images for the game's launch, or simply not final versions of the artwork that will feature in the final release. Ultimately, at this stage in the game, we can't determine if these images were AI-generated. It'll be interesting to see if they make it into the final release, and if they remain the same, are updated and polished up, or are changed entirely.
Of course, the simplest explanation here could also be the truth, that these images simply aren't up to snuff, and that these background billboards perhaps aren't where Nintendo's artists have done their best work. People make mistakes all the time, and this could very well be as simple as that.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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