Mario Kart 8 Deluxe -0100152000022800--v1245184... -
They weren't CPUs. They were ghosts—literal developer ghosts. Their names above their karts were email addresses from 2014. shigeru.test@nintendo.co.jp . kart_physics_draft7@noa . One was just koopa_kid_please_hire_me . They didn't drive. They teleported in straight lines, ignoring turns, ignoring gravity, ignoring the concept of a race.
He pressed A.
Then the other racers loaded.
And the menu was… wrong.
Kevin reached for the A button. Then he saw the second line below it. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe -0100152000022800--v1245184...
0100152000022800 Version: v1245184
And in the corner of his screen, for just a second, before it faded: They weren't CPUs