Nintendo executives probably haven’t smiled this wide in a quite a long time. In the mere three days since Mario Kart 8‘s global release (a day earlier in Japan), the game is tearing up records left and right, all while cementing Wii U software milestones and boosting hardware sales in percentages halfway toward quadruple-digits. Nintendo has broken down some of the numbers, and to call them impressive borders on severe understatement.
Of primary note is that Mario Kart 8 has shifted a whopping 1.2 million copies globally since it became available on May 30th. Nintendo points out that despite Wii U’s struggles thus far, the system sports an enviable 13+ titles with Metascores over 85, Mario Kart 8 being the 14th.
Never one to stay quiet during a potential victory lap, Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime dropped some encouraging comments on Wii U’s future.
The early response to Mario Kart 8 demonstrates that the best days for Wii U are still ahead. This year’s E3 is just days away, and it will be all about the future games for Nintendo platforms. This milestone is a great place to start!
The biggest thing to take from Reggie’s quote, I think, is “early response.” Presumably, Mario Kart 8 hasn’t yet hit its full sales stride, and that’s after the second-best launch in Mario Kart history and an impressive 84 days in Amazon’s top 100 for videogames (it currently sits at number two).
Wii U hardware sales numbers for the US and Japan aren’t available just yet, but we do know that since its release Mario Kart 8 has elevated Wii U sales in the UK by a mighty 666%. Perhaps not surprisingly, 82% of Wii Us sold in the same week were Mario Kart 8 hardware bundles, which offer substantial value over buying software and hardware separately (thanks, CVG).
Despite its success, Mario Kart 8 did lag behind Watch Dogs on the UK all formats sales charts, but Ubsoft’s open-world juggernaut is experiencing unprecedented success. Both games deserve all the attention they can get, and as long as Nintendo’s racer starts moving some serious Wii U plastic, I’m sure beating Ubisoft at retail is the last thing on the company’s mind.
