Mario Kart 64’s Special Cup Was Renamed iQue Cup In China

Back in 2003, Nintendo’s Chinese subsidiary iQue officially released Mario Kart 64 on iQue Player (a special console that could download Nintendo 64 games) in China. But did you know it came with a few modifications?

As the iQue Player was iQue’s first product in the market, the company wanted to establish its own brand. One of the ways it accomplished this was by changing Nintendo 64 references in Mario Kart 64 to the iQue logo. Here’s an example in Luigi’s Circuit:

Besides subtle changes, the company went a step further by renaming the Special Cup to iQue Cup.

Not all Nintendo 64 references were removed, though. The number 64 remained on the train that appears in Kalimari Desert.

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