Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the upgraded Switch port of the Wii U original Mario Kart 8, has secured Nintendo’s first UK Number 1 since 2011, while also breaking series records elsewhere.
In the US, the game has sold 459,000 units (physical and digital) in its first weekend, joining The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in setting series records as the fastest-selling game in their respective franchises. Crucially for Mario Kart, this represents an immediately more successful release than the previous two Mario Kart releases on the (then) struggling 3DS and Wii U. It also topples Mario Kart Wii as record holder as fastest-selling. With just over a million Nintendo Switches sold in the United States, this also means Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has launched with a 45% attach rate.
Nintendo’s last #1 game in the UK, meanwhile, was back in 2011 when Pokemon Black and White were released. In 2011, those Pokémon games were releasing on the DS towards the end of its lifespan and a potential audience of not far below 150 million. The difference in circumstances highlights just how much of a success Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is; at an incredibly important period in the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan.
The full UK chart also sees new entries for
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 and
Little Nightmares. Both are notable for their own success, coming from Indie studios and making a sizeable dent on the chart with #2 and #4 entries, respectively. Meanwhile, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also given The Legend of Zelda a bit of a boost too – most likely from new Switch owners – bumping it back up from 10th to joint 4th with Little Nightmares.
Here is the rest of the top 10 courtesy of
GfK:
| Last Week |
This Week |
Title |
| New Entry |
1 |
Mario Kart 8: Deluxe |
| New Entry |
2 |
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 |
| 3 |
2 |
Grand Theft Auto V |
| New Entry |
4 |
Little Nightmares |
| 10 |
4 |
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild |
| 4 |
6 |
LEGO Worlds |
| 1 |
7 |
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands |
| 8 |
8 |
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare |
| 3 |
9 |
FIFA 17 |
| 6 |
10 |
Horizon: Zero Dawn |
