Many ironies in the video game space can’t fully be understood or predicted. One of the greatest ones for Nintendo is the success of the Switch and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The Switch was said to be the “Swan Song” for Nintendo after the failure of the Wii U. Except it wasn’t a swan song. Instead, it was a phoenix that rose from the ashes and helped Nintendo take the top spot in the video game world once again. As for the game, that was one of the first major titles that the Switch got, and it’s been selling like hotcakes ever since.
Yes, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a port of the Wii U version of the title. The only real difference at the start was slightly improved graphics and the bundled DLC that added characters like the Squid Kids and Link, among others. The game sold well enough on Wii U, but Nintendo wanted to give it new life on the Switch, and it was the best decision they could’ve possibly made. As revealed by a certain Nintendo insider, the game has “unofficially” crossed 50 million units sold. To be clear, that number doesn’t include any of the Wii U sales. This is all about the Switch version of the title:
The fact that it’s been the #1 game on the Nintendo eShop since December is surprising, given some of the big games that came out in October and November. However, it speaks to the nature of the game and how people continue to buy it despite the title coming out in 2017.
So what is it that made the game so popular? That’s one of the ironies. We really don’t know. The simple answer is that it was one of the first big 1st-party titles when the Switch launched. It arrived in April 2017, a little over a month after the Switch was released, and thus, it was one of the big games that everyone could play.
The multiplayer element also helped as people wanted to enjoy their Switch with others. As the late Mr. Satoru Iwata would likely say, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an “evergreen” title. That means that despite its age, it’s one of the titles that new Nintendo Switch owners will buy once they get the console, hence the consistent sales.
More recently, the Booster Course Pass has been helping sales by offering new tracks to the game. So when you add that all up, you get a Switch game that has crossed 50 million units sold.
Source: Twitter
