Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sets franchise record in US
Newest Switch title from Nintendo has already sold 459,000 units, making it the fastest-selling in the Mario Kart series
Following up on the record-breaking sales pace of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo of America has now confirmed that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch has become the fastest-selling in the franchise's history, with 459,000 units sold (physical and digital figures combined). The solid start for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gives it a 45% attach rate thus far. Mario Kart Wii was the previous record holder for the highest first-day sales in the franchise with sales of about 433,900 units in the US back in 2008.
Nintendo also boasted that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has earned more perfect review scores than any other Mario Kart game. "With a current Metacritic score of 93, the critically acclaimed title is the highest-rated game in the series in 15 years - tying the overall review score of Mario Kart: Super Circuit for Game Boy Advance," the company said.
While full global figures for the newest Mario Kart are not yet available, the title is off to a great start across the pond as well, topping the UK charts. As our Christopher Dring pointed out, "It's the first Nintendo boxed game to get to No.1 since 2011, when the format holder topped the charts with Pokémon White on DS. It's also the first Mario game to reach the top of the charts since Mario Kart Wii in 2008."
Globally, the Switch hardware itself has sold 2.7 million units and Nintendo has increased its net profit by five times as a result. Nintendo expects to sell another 10 million units of the Switch during the current fiscal year ending next March.