When Nintendo first revealed the Switch 2’s GameChat comms feature, my first thought was, ‘Welcome to 2012, Nintendo.’ But now, after reading a new interview with a number of key Mario Kart World developers, I realize in hindsight that it was both silly and short-sighted to assume Nintendo didn’t have much more diabolical plans for GameChat.
We all know Nintendo games can ruin friendships. To this day, I’ll never forgive myself for throwing a shoe at my best friend in 2011 because he hit me with like three blue turtle shells in a row or something. That said, it’s never been as explicitly clear as it is now that Nintendo likes testing friendships. Friendships aren’t a hapless casualty of party game war; they’re targets for Nintendo to snipe like kart racers without bananas protecting their behinds.
I know this because Nintendo said as much: part of the fun of the Switch 2’s GameChat feature is seeing your friends’ faces in real time as you ruin their day in Mario Kart World.
“In previous Mario Kart games, you could see your opponents’ names above their vehicle, but if you’re using a camera for GameChat, they can see your face in real time,” said programming director Kenta Sato. “If everyone uses a camera, it makes it easier to see who’s playing as each character, but it’s also fun to see the other person’s expression when you hit them with an item.”
Art director Masaaki Ishikawa added, “that look of mild despair,” laughing at all of our future pain.
Joking aside, I genuinely hadn’t thought of the comedic potential of playing games like Mario Kart World using GameChat. I don’t know if I agree with “mild despair” being the extent of what I’ll put on display after being hit by another blue turtle shell seconds from the finish line, but I can’t wait to see my friends’ faces when I give ’em a taste of their own medicine.
Here are all of the upcoming Switch 2 games we know about.
