The game that would become "Crash Nitro Kart" was initially conceptualized and developed by Traveller's Tales. The original concept involved vehicles that would sustain damage until they were reduced to a single wheel; the vehicle could be repaired by collecting special items scattered around the tracks. The character Nina Cortex, who would later appear in "Crash Twinsanity", was created and designed by Duke Mighten during this stage of development. Development duties of the game were subsequently transferred to Vicarious Visions, where the game was tentatively titled "Crash Team Racing 2" during pre-production.