Nintendo finally has some Wii U news to brag about as first weekend Mario Kart 8 sales makes it the fastest selling game on the still relatively new console.
From Friday through Sunday in the Americas, Japan and Europe, Nintendo sold approximately 1.2 million total units of Mario Kart 8 for Wii U. It did get a head start in Japan where it launched a day earlier on Thursday.
Though 1.2 million units sold may sound like a lot — and technically it is — when compared against the previous seven games in the racing franchise, Mario Kart 8 still has many more laps to complete. For example, the bestselling Mario Kart game of them all is Mario Kart Wii with a whopping 35.53 million units sold, per internal Nintendo sales numbers. Check out the following sales chart that Nintendo distributed today:
Mario Kart 8 could mark a momentum turn for Wii U after a year and a half of fledging sales. Nintendo has the hotly anticipated Super Smash Bros. coming to Wii U later this year, as well as unannounced games that may include new Wii U entries for The Legend of Zelda and Metroid.
“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!”
– Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime
The key to Mario Kart 8’s success will be how well it can sustain sales over the summer and through the upcoming holiday shopping season. Strong scores are often a measure of success, and thus far Mario Kart 8 is mostly knocking those out of the park.
