Nintendo's latest release is taking such a lead that it should be wary of blue shells, as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is now the fastest-selling game in the racing series' history.
With over 459,000 units sold at launch this past Friday, April 28, the re-release of 2014's Mario Kart 8 for the Nintendo Switch console has broken the first-day sales record set by previous franchise leader, 2008's Mario Kart Wii.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe isn't just a big seller from its lineage's perspective, but also the Nintendo Switch's as well. According to Nintendo, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had an attach rate of 45% in the US — meaning roughly half of all Switch owners in the country purchased the latest Mario Kart on day one.
All that glitters...
While this is clearly a success story for Nintendo's newest game (and by extension, its latest console) the immediate latching-on to a new release could also suggest a dearth of fresh content on the Switch.
Without the usual app standbys like Hulu or Netflix, a Virtual Console still incoming, and its first arguably major exclusives — ARMS and Splatoon 2 — a month-plus away, we worry the Nintendo Switch risks becoming a one-trick pony skating by on Wii U games and tech demos.
That said, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's success is well deserved, with a current Metacritic average of 93 and perfectly demonstrating the Switch's versatility for playing solo at home or with friends on-the-go. We just hope Nintendo gets the bare-bones (or rather, Dry Bones) multiplayer matchmaking up to snuff when its online service goes behind a paywall this fall.
