Nintendo has announced that the recently released Mario Kart 8 has sold up to 1.2 million copies in Japan, Europe and the Americas in the first weekend of release. The latest Nintendo game has also become the fastest-selling Wii U game in the company's history.
The Japanese game maker revealed on Monday, June 2, that Mario Kart 8 has earned some of the highest review scores. Mario Kart 8 has also become the fourteenth Wii U game in the U.S. which now has a Metacritic score of a minimum of 85. Nintendo released the game on May 29 in Japan, May 30 in Europe and North America and on May 31 in Australia.
"The early response to Mario Kart 8 demonstrates that the best days for Wii U are still ahead," says Reggie Fils-Aime COO and president of Nintendo of America. "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 Mario Kart 8 gameplay includes the traditional elements of previous games in the series but is also packed with some new features. The latest feature in the Mario Kart 8 is the anti-gravitational segments. Anti-gravity allows a gamer to drive in nearly all surfaces. When a gamer is in anti-gravity it allows them to drive on walls, ceilings and more.
Mario Kart 8 also features integration with Wii U GamePad. Gamers can play off their TV screens on their GamePad screen. Users will also be able to see track maps along with the location of racers.
Prior seven games in the Mario Kart series combined have sold more than 100 million units globally, which includes sales of the Mario Kart Wii for Wii that amounted to more than 35 million units and Mario Kart DS for the Nintendo DS consoles that accounted for over 25 million units. It seems that Mario Kart 8 will outshine the sales figure of prior games in the series as it has already become the fastest selling Wii U game.
Nintendo Wii U has faced stiff competition in the market and the gaming console was not able to attract a lot of customers due to the lack of many games. However, it seems that Mario Kart 8 has already appealed to many gamers in its first week of launch and the game is also yet to be launched in more markets.
It will be interesting to see if Mario Kart 8 is able to turn the tides in Nintendo's favor.
