Mario Kart World is the Switch 2 launch title that most people will recognize, but it wasn't always intended to be one. In fact, the game's developers have revealed they actually wanted to release the open-world racer on the original Switch console. But the older hardware just couldn't handle it.

Crucially, World was actually originally planned for the OG Switch – not the Switch 2. Gasp! Yes, according to interviewees Kosuke Yabuki, Kenta Sato, Masaaki Ishikawa, Shintaro Jikumaru, and Atsuko Asahi, development had only really shifted over to the Switch 2 when the Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was being released.

In another world, Mario Kart World released on the original Switch years ago, looking and playing quite differently than it does today.