For the first time in the series, Mario Kart World used external composers to arrange portions of its score.
Nintendo's internal music team still composed the soundtrack, led by Atsuko Asahi. However, the production expanded beyond the usual in-house approach by bringing in outside musicians to arrange parts of the game's music.
The collaborators included members of Dezolve, a Japanese jazz-fusion band. Satoshi Bandoh and Masato Honda of T-Square also contributed overdubs, adding specialist instrumental performances to the score. These contributions helped give the soundtrack a broader ensemble and jazz-influenced character.
The arrangement work fits the game's larger musical design. Mario Kart World uses dynamic transitions, dedicated introductions and endings, and continuously changing music in modes such as Knockout Tour. Its Free Roam system also draws from a large library of rearranged Mario themes.