Nintendo’s innovative augmented reality game, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, has been inspired by real-world drone races, the Japanese company has confirmed. Or rather, the key people behind Velan Studios, the company hired to create the game, with the Game Director Dan Doptis and CEO Karthik Bala on top.
In a recent interview with CNET, the duo revealed how Nintendo green lit the project back in late spring of 2017. Velan devs built a prototype using white-label RC cars and some low-end imaging gear. The experiment resulted in an experience that was decent, but not game-y enough, so to speak.
Soon thereafter, Velan demonstrated the prototype to Nintendo and won itself a development contract for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. The said game released as a Nintendo Switch exclusive on October 16th to some pretty rave reviews from both critics and consumers.
The vital part of the experience is the unmatched feeling of speed that Velan was careful to get right from the very first prototype it developed, its executives explained. Moving forward, it’s quite possible Velan ends up creating even more AR gaming experiences based on Nintendo’s iconic IPs. Unfortunately, the company isn’t sharing anything on that front for the time being.
