Mario Kart 8 Deluxe producer on the new Zelda: Breath of the Wild update
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe unexpectedly received an update a few days ago. After downloading the latest data, players can ride on the Master Cycle Zero using Link from Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Producer Kosuke Yabuki shared a message about the new update a few days ago. If you’re interested in reading the full translation, continue on below.
Hello everyone, this is Kosuke Yabuki – producer of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – speaking.
Starting today (July 20th), you can now play as Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (in his Champion’s Tunic) as well as ride his “Master Cycle Zero” in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!
Whenever Link performs a jump action in-game, he’ll brandish the familiar Guardian Sword++ as well as utilize his well-known paraglider! And while of course the “Master Cycle Zero” is a bike, you can choose to use its corresponding kart form as well.
The “Master Cycle Zero” is a trail bike that Link used to ride freely through the wilds, and can execute powerful drifts and jumps, even when underwater!
Much of the Mario Kart development team – including myself – has also spent time working on developing titles for the Zelda series too; likewise, members of the Zelda team have also worked on Mario Kart. A lot of us are friends that see each other around the same floor on a daily basis!
One day – about a year ago – Mr. Eiji Aonuma came to me with a thought. He said: “I’m thinking about putting a bike in Breath of the Wild, what do you think?” I promptly replied: “Riding around that world on a bike would be the best, go for it!”
Just dropping a bike into the world of Hyrule wouldn’t be an easy feat, though. There were a lot of things to consider: making sure the player could feel the tires’ traction, making the engine sound powerful, and even designing the bike to make it feel like ancient technology! The development team faced a great deal of challenges, for sure.
After playing The Champions’ Ballad – Breath of the Wild’s second DLC expansion – I felt that the “Master Cycle Zero” would be a perfect fit for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!
To fit with the variety of terrain that the game’s courses offer, such as the anti-gravity sections in which the player drives on ceilings, walls, and the like, we re-appropriated the bike’s mechanics and appearance.
As developers of both Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it’d fill our hearts with joy if you – the players – would continue to enjoy both games for years to come!
Translation by provided by Nico Thaxton on behalf of Nintendo Everything
If you use any of this translation, please be sure to source Nintendo Everything. Do not copy its full contents.
