“The early response to ‘Mario Kart 8’ demonstrates that the best days for Wii U are still ahead,” said Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime while announcing the staggering success of the latest Wii U exclusive as it manages to sell a whopping 1.2 million copies in opening weekend.
Released on May 29 in Japan and May 30 across North America and Europe, Mario Kart 8 also help Nintendo ship out a boatload of Wii U consoles – an estimated 666 percent more than previous week – according to Gfk Chart-Track. The title managed to debut in the UK all formats chart at no. 2 position just behind Watch Dogs.
With the latest success, Mario Kart 8 also becomes the fastest selling Wii U title since the console was launched in 2012. The Japanese company also revealed global sales figures for the previous Mario Kart titles – as of this March, “Super Mario Kart” sold 8.76 million units, “Mario Kart 64” sold 9.87 million units, “Mario Kart Advance” 5.91 million units, “Mario Kart DS” sold 23.56 million units, “Mario Kart Wii” sold 35.53 million units and “Mario Kart 7” sold 9.62 million units globally.
Hinting at the possibility of some great reveals for the Wii U Fils-Aime said, “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!”
