Game News Nintendo’s best-selling game of all time was released on one of the company’s worst consoles, celebrating 10 years of controlled spinning!
Released on May 29, 2014 in Japan and the next day in Europe/North America, this production is quite simply Nintendo’s best-seller in video games. With over 70 million units sold worldwide, this title is still selling very well. What is this game, originally released on the Wii U, worth 10 years later?
The infamous Wii U didn’t have all its drawbacks. With only one sale in 2023, it sold just under 14 million units worldwide and stopped production about 5 years after its release. But not everything has to be thrown away!
This 2012 console gave birth to Mario Kart 8 (also called MK8), which became Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (MK8D) when ported to the Nintendo Switch. In ten years it was Nintendo’s best-selling game, and it really doesn’t seem to be stopping. This Wednesday, May 29, 2024, we wish the game a happy birthday, let’s talk a little about its success.
Unmatched sales figures
To stay in a few numbers, it is also the best-selling game for the Nintendo Wii U with more than 8 million copies sold, which means that more than one in two Wii U owners owned this title! It goes without saying that this racing game, in which a very large number of characters from the license (especially with the DLC) compete against each other, was an unprecedented success. Even today, sales are still very profitable, it is the third best-selling Nintendo game of the 2023-2024 fiscal yearafter Zelda Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
A crescendo like we rarely do
Upon its release, the game received critical acclaim for its accessible yet deep gameplay, creative tracks, and fairly robust online multiplayer. In a short time, Mario Kart 8 has become one of the best-selling games on the Wii U, with more than 8 million copies sold. The game’s success was further boosted in 2017 with the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch. Finally, it was particularly reinforced over time. At first, MK8D was not very well received by gamers. Many were waiting for a new work and not a port. However, they very quickly realized that the opus was much more than just a port. Just three days after its release, the one million units sold were exceeded. In fact, this improved version not only included all the downloadable content (DLC) of the Wii U version, but also added new characters and game modes and took advantage of the growing popularity of the Switch.
New downloadable content became available for purchase in March 2022, and seasons followed with further waves of purchasable content, with the sixth and final wave being released in November 2023. With 48 new races and 8 new characters, this production remains very well rated. Whether it is sales (even physical), where the game is almost always in the top 5 (according to the figures of the SELL) or in the hearts of players. In addition, a fairly large community of players participates in races. Not only thanks to online tournaments, through more unofficial competitions, but also thanks to streamers who do not hesitate to fight, or rather, compete against their dear viewers!
Problems with the circuits
What ultimately makes this work so iconic? Why is he considered the best of the best among his peers? Quite simply because it is the culmination, the realization, the apotheosis of everything Mario Kart has to offer. The vehicles differ primarily in appearance, there is definitely a body made for you! In addition to changing the statistics (speed, acceleration, handling, etc.), you can also change the appearance, strengths and weaknesses of your vehicle by using different wheels. Colorful or not, small, big or even scary, your cars are of course not just there to “look nice”.
When racing, you have to be alert because dangers never come from the same place twice. This is undoubtedly Mario Kart’s greatest strength: its replayability with friends. Each of the 96 races is unique and the random items we receive make these tracks very different, even if you run the same track twice. Unlike Mario Golf: Super Rush, which we quickly got to grips with, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe lets you drive circles on the race tracks without getting bored. This work brought several innovations, especially regarding objects with the Boomerang Flower, the Super Horn (which can be used to get rid of the legendary blue shell) and the Piranha Flower. The return of coins on the race track is also present. They allow you to improve your overall speed, so be careful not to lose them!
What about Mario Kart 9?
Really interesting vehicle customization that allows us to adapt our play style to our preferences, different characters, almost 100 tracks, in short, the qualities of the game are numerous. Even when the DLC for MK8 Deluxe was announced, many were waiting for a “Mario Kart 9”. Some rumors at the time even spoke of a “Mario Kart 10”, suggesting that 2 games were in the pipeline. In the end, this was not the case and the chances of an MK9 are getting smaller and smaller. Despite its tenth anniversary, the latest Mario Kart is, as mentioned, still very high in Nintendo’s sales numbers. Many are waiting for an innovative sequel, but the company has no real reason to release a sequel now. So why not release a sequel at the same time as the Japanese company’s new console? Only time will tell.
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