Nintendo Updates ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ To Remove This Offensive Gesture

It turns out rude drivers can be found on just about any racing circuit — even “Mario Kart.”

But the difference between “Mario Kart” and IndyCar, for example, is that “Mario Kart’s” governing body is taking a stand against offensive gestures, even though it’s the one that included them in the game in the first place.

Nintendo rolled out a patch for “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” on Wednesday that, among other things, altered the animations of Inkling Girl, one of the game’s characters, according to Kotaku. Prior to the patch, the character at times would raise her arm and hand in a manner that some people might consider offensive.

Here’s a pair of screenshots, courtesy of NeoGAF user Neiteio, that show how Inkling Girl has changed. Let’s start with how she looks after the update:

Aggressive, but clean. Now for how she celebrated before the patch:

The change is subtle, and might not seem like a big deal to some, but the hand-to-bicep gesture is considered particularly offensive in some European countries, such as Italy, according to Kotaku.

Flagrant disrespect aside, we love  “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,” even though it’s online multiplayer leaves much to be desired.

Thumbnail photo via Nintendo