In a press release on Monday, Nintendo released the U.S. sales numbers for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch in the first weekend after its April 28 release. The Wii U port is the fastest-selling title in the franchise’s history.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold more than 459,000 combined packaged and digital sales in the U.S. on launch day alone. 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 back in 2008.
These 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.
While the attach and sales rate of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe can’t really compare with Breath of the Wild ’s reported 1.34 million units and 89 percent attach rate after its first week globally, the Wii U port still had some very solid numbers, especially considering ongoing Switch inventory shortages.
To date, more than 2.7 million Nintendo Switch systems have been sold globally, with the hybrid console moving more than 906,000 units in its first month. These figures make the Switch the fastest-selling console in Nintendo’s history. More would have likely been sold if Nintendo could resolve its shortage problem, something the company promises to address with increased production over the second fiscal quarter of 2017.
Nintendo also revealed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has received more perfect review scores than any other Mario Kart game ever. Its current Metacritic score is 93, and 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.
While we didn’t give Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a perfect score, we did praise the Nintendo Switch game as the best installment of the franchise. The addition of Battle Mode, along with the beautiful 1080p resolution, makes this game a must-own for anyone with a Switch.
The Nintendo Switch library is getting better each month as Breath of the Wild took over March and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gave early adopters something to play in April. Nintendo looks to keep that momentum going with Arms in June and Splatoon 2 in July, with more unannounced Switch games expected to be revealed during this year’s E3.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now for Nintendo Switch.
Are you impressed with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ’s sales numbers over the weekend? Have you picked up the title for your Switch yet? If not, what’s holding you back? Let us know in the comments section below.
