One of the greatest ironies of the Nintendo Switch era is that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the title that became the best-selling game on the console. It wasn’t even the launch title for the Switch, as it came out well over a month after the launch. However, despite being a port of the Wii U version, the game has sold well over 60 million units in seven years and will likely continue to sell until the next game in the series arrives. To that end, if you’re someone who hasn’t had the chance to get it, there’s a huge sale going on right now that you’ll be interested in!
On Walmart, they’re selling the game for $30. It should be stated up front that the discount is for the game’s physical version, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from getting it. After all, that’s 50% off the main price! Oh, and remember, that is only for the base game, so it won’t have the “Booster Course Pass” tracks added over the last few years. You’ll have to pay for that separately if you want to enjoy the fresh tracks.
Regardless, it’s a great game, and it’s easily one of the most popular titles on Nintendo Switch Online by all accounts. So, if you have friends who already have the game, you’ll finally have the chance to play with them and see if you can race them to the finish line or beat them in one of the battle modes.
Of course, the real question with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not about the game itself but about the sequel that is inevitably coming. While the irony of its sales is grand, it was honestly shocking to see that Nintendo didn’t release a follow-up game on the Switch. After all, they had plenty of time to make one, as the port came out in 2017, and now we’re in 2024 with no overt declaration of a follow-up. The belief is that The Big N was happily coasting on the sales of the port and didn’t want to “confuse the market” by putting in a sequel that might have detracted overall sales. You could also make the argument that by the time they had made the new racing title, it would’ve been so late in the Switch’s run that sales wouldn’t have matched up to the port.
Either way, many are hoping that a new entry for the Switch 2 will happen.
