Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Update Removes Offensive Hand Gesture

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's latest update is out now, and it makes a rather intriguing change: one Inkling Girl animation has been tweaked to remove a gesture that is deemed offensive in a number of countries.

The expression--which involves raising a clenched fist while the other arm holds the raised bicep--was used by Inkling Girl as a celebratory sign. However, the "Italian salute" is considered offensive in some territories, including France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and much of Latin America.

The gesture has been replaced by a simple fist pump, and photos from NeoGAF user Neiteio show the difference between the pre- and post-patch versions.

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A few other minor changes were also included in the update, such as starting positions in online races, invincibility periods after a spin-out, and Mii facial expressions. Take a look at the full patch notes below.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe v1.1 patch notes

• Opponents' names are displayed in the rear view mirror view in online matches.
• Invincibility period after a spin-out or crash is longer in online matches.
• Up to two players can spectate a friend group while they wait to join.
• Worldwide and Regional modes add players to Mirror and 200cc matches less often.
• Can now properly create a friend lobby when you have 100 or more friends.
• Inkling Girl's animation has been adjusted.
• Starting positions in online races now properly reflect the order in which players join.
• Driver Miis now properly showing facial expressions.
• Tournament clock now properly reflects real-world time.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has proved popular since its release in April, going to the top of the UK, Australian, and US sales charts. In our review, Kallie Plagge said Nintendo's racer was already a "great racing game" when it was released in 2014 on Wii U, but the overhaul of Battle Mode makes it "well worth reinvesting yourself in Mario Kart 8 on Switch." Read more in our full Mario Kart 8 Deluxe review.