Today, Nintendo revealed that its recently-released Wii U exclusive – the eagerly-anticipated Mario Kart 8 – had a stellar first weekend on the market. The game sold over 1.2 million units across the world, from North America, to Europe, to Japan, making it a bona fide commercial hit. The game launched on May 29th in Japan, May 30th in North America and Europe, and May 31st in Australia.
Interestingly, this marks a continuation of Nintendo and its partners releasing quality software on the Wii U. Mario Kart 8, according to Nintendo, is the 14th Wii U game to launch in the US with an 85 or higher on Metacritic.
In a statement, Nintendo of America’s President and COO, Reggie Fils-Aime, writes that, "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!"
Global sales of the Mario Kart franchise – which began on the Super Nintendo in the form of Super Mario Kart in 1992 – have passed the 100 million sold mark as of late March, 2014. Mario Kart Wii remains the best-selling game in the franchise by a mile, selling an astounding 35.53 million units, though Mario Kart DS isn’t far behind at 23.56 million units.
