A Mario Kart Legend Bids Farewell: “Pioneers of a Generation Are Departing Nintendo”

We’re entering a pivotal moment for Nintendo as the winter gaming showcase season kicks off. With the anticipation building, the question arises: can anything be done to stop leaks for Grand Theft Auto 6 at launch? Welcome to another edition of Morning Checkpoint, your daily dose of gaming news, rumors, and culture. We’re inching closer to dropping the “Morning” from our title since these updates keep rolling in later. But hey, it’s a snow day in the Mid-Atlantic! While the winter wonderland beckons outside, my kids have become completely hooked on Kingdoms: Two Crowns this weekend. Instead of crafting a snowman, they’re on the lookout for villagers to hire.

Hideki Konno, a long-time figure at Nintendo who contributed to classics from Sim City on the SNES to Mario Kart 8, departed the company last summer. The news was subtly hinted at through an update on his Facebook page, but fans are just now catching on. “Talk of Konno-san’s resignation is starting to buzz…” noted former Nintendo employee Takaya Imamura on social media. “The people who shaped an era are leaving Nintendo one by one…”

In other news, an internal announcement today revealed changes affecting various departments, including marketing and design, at the company’s headquarters. This move is still in the proposal stage, pending collective agreement with employee representatives and validation by French authorities. The proposal specifically targets Ubisoft International employees under French contracts and does not affect other French entities or Ubisoft teams globally.

Mark your calendars for January 29 at 6 a.m. PT for the #TomodachiLife: Living the Dream Direct! This 20-minute presentation will unveil more details about the upcoming Nintendo Switch title, which arrives over a decade after its 3DS predecessor.

Additionally, a series of developer-led spotlights will showcase upcoming content for 2026. Look out for the World of Warcraft – State of Azeroth on January 29 at 12:00 p.m. ET, Overwatch Spotlight on February 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET, Hearthstone Spotlight on February 9 at 12:30 p.m. ET, and the Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight on February 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

While not officially confirmed, leak insider NateTheHate suggests that the physical version of GTA 6 may not launch simultaneously with the digital version to mitigate leaks. This speculation comes from Graczdari of a Polish site, who previously leaked details about the physical release of Oblivion Remastered, lending some credibility to the rumor. Given the trend of early leaks for physical releases, it wouldn’t be surprising if Rockstar took a different route this time.

However, considering that GTA 6 is the kind of game that draws in casual gamers asking for a physical copy, I’m skeptical that trying to prevent leaks—something that likely won’t impact the game’s hype—would justify risking potential sales.

In a fun twist, someone has ported Super Monkey Ball to a website. You can find it in the replies (or just type what you see in the video; I’m not here to boss you around).

It’s really that straightforward. Not constantly plummeting to your demise? Well, that’s a different story.