- Nintendo has denied using AI-generated imagery in Mario Kart World, despite fans spotting warped billboards during a recent gameplay demo that resemble typical generative AI flaws.
- The questionable textures—crooked bridges, distorted buildings, and oversized car features—were likely placeholders for in-development assets, a common practice months ahead of release.
- Nintendo hasn’t clarified further, but the rest of the game appeared polished in the demo.
It looks like Nintendo is in hot water for using AI-generated images, despite the company’s president stating that they would not use AI in their video games.
But it looks kind of obvious.
Footage from Nintendo’s recent Treehouse stream shows three billboards in Mario Kart World that don’t fit Nintendo’s usual polish. One advert displays a bridge with crooked supports and floating guardrails.
Another, a half‑built skyscraper whose floors tilt in impossible directions; a third features a car with comically oversized windows. All three images carry the tell‑tale warping and misplaced details players have come to associate with generative‑AI art.
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The odd billboards appear in a city circuit demonstrated during the broadcast. Their presence sparked speculation that Nintendo dipped into automated asset generation—or, more realistically, that the development team slotted in quick placeholders while final textures remain in production. That practice is standard for in‑development builds shown months before release.
Nintendo hasn’t commented on the textures, and nothing in the presentation suggested these rough images will ship on June 5, when Mario Kart World arrives alongside the Switch 2.
The company routinely removes or replaces temporary art in the final optimisation pass, and the rest of the demo looked finished: fluid frame rate, tight handling, and the new “Track Morph” mechanic that reshapes corners in real-time.
AI Everywhere
While AI may not be suitable (yet) for image generation and video games, it is giving a big hand to companies like Strategy, which are leveraging the powers of AI to push its Bitcoin investment even further, as Crypto News Australia reported.
Moreover, Tether recently developed its own AI platform to power a new payment processor using USDT and BTC, all leveraging AI workflows. Even Cardano (ADA) launched a new testnet using AI agents to simulate high-frequency DeFi trading.
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