Mario Kart 8 was a fantastic game on Wii U, but the audience simply wasn’t there to enjoy it as the game deserved. Now the title has hit Nintendo Switch in the form of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, offering the same amazing gameplay and graphics with a bunch of extra stuff thrown in. And the audience is apparently ready this time with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe becoming the fastest selling game in franchise history.
This is no small feat, with the MK series going all the way back to the SNES. The first game in the franchise launched in 1992. According to a Nintendo press release, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold over 459,000 copies across both digital and retail versions just on launch day, giving it the new record.
“The previous record holder for the highest first-day sales in the franchise was Mario Kart Wii, with U.S. sales of approximately 433,900 when it launched in 2008,” said Nintendo. “The solid sales numbers for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe equate to an attach rate of 45 percent – meaning nearly one in two Nintendo Switch owners in the U.S. purchased a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the first day it was available. To date, more than 2.7 million Nintendo Switch systems have been sold globally.”
The game has also won over critics, earning more perfect review scores than any game in series history. The MK franchise has always been one of Nintendo’s biggest and best, but it definitely seems like fans were ready for Deluxe to hit the Switch.
Perhaps it’s because this is the first dual home console and handheld release, allowing players to have the full Mario Kart 8 experience on the go. Mobile MK games always were some of the best, especially with the DS release which first introduced online play. Fans gobbled that game up, despite its graphical and gameplay shortcomings on the underpowered system. Now they have the full home console experience on the go, which likely contributed greatly to the excitement around this game.
