Fact Check
In late May 2022, the satire gaming site Hard Drive posted a story that some people took literally. "Nintendo Announces Female Characters Will No Longer Be Able to Drive Mario Karts Following Saudi Arabia Investment," the headline of a May 19, 2022, story read.
"Following today’s news that Saudi Arabia now controls 5% of its shares after making a nearly three billion dollar investment, Nintendo has announced that female characters are now banned from driving in Mario Kart 8," the article's lead paragraph stated.
None of this is true, however, as Hard Drive articles are strictly intended for humor purposes. The site is linked to The Hard Times, a satirical news outlet founded in 2014, according to its "About" page.
Mario Kart is a popular iteration of the Super Mario Bros Nintendo game platform based on the fictional plumbers Mario and Luigi. Mario Kart is a multiplayer racing game in which gamers can select various Super Mario Bros characters to drive race cars.
Women in the Saudi Arabia have been legally able to drive in the patriarchal monarchy since 2018.