Several Mario Kart 8 bundles have been introduced around the world, allowing potential players to pick up a console with the game preinstalled and ready to play. The promotion is set to run through the end of July, encouraging gamers to buy early to take advantage.Ī Wii U selling point In addition to providing a must-have game for those who already own a Wii U, some within the company believe that it could be a catalyst for Wii U sales as well.
The company is offering a promotion through its Club Nintendo service that allows players to choose a free game from a list of first-party titles upon registering Mario Kart 8 or downloading it from the Nintendo e-Shop.
This provides a compelling reason for some "Kart" fans to buy the new game, especially since the game introduces a few new features, refines popular ones, and allows players to revisit iconic tracks from previous games in 720p HD at 60 frames per second for the first time.Įarly adoption encouraged While some games gradually build up sales and become hits in the long run, Nintendo wanted to make sure that Mario Kart 8 was a hit right out of the gate. ( Mario Kart 7 still has online play, of course, since the 3DS is still receiving active support as it's the company's current handheld console.)
This left fans of the series with no way to access the online play that they love on a home console. As I've mentioned before, online services for Mario Kart Wii ended recently as Nintendo continued to phase out support for the older console. Increasing demand One thing that Mario Kart 8 has going for it is the popularity of online racing among Mario Kart Wii players. With this in mind, what are the prospects for Nintendo moving forward? Is Mario Kart 8 the draw that the Wii U needs? Mario Kart 8 shows every indication that it might be the hit that the Wii U needs. Its predecessor, Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS, sold 1.54 million units in the most recent fiscal year and has recorded 9.62 million sales in its three-year lifetime, while Mario Kart Wii sold 1.27 million units in the fiscal year and has recorded 35.5 million sales in six years. The demand for "Mario Kart" games is certainly there. The popularity of the game even caused overloads of the company's "Club Nintendo" website as release-day purchasers attempted to register the game to take advantage of a free-game promotion that the site is running. While there has been speculation that the game might end up producing the lowest sales figures in the franchise despite glowing reviews, it was off to a good start in its first weekend. This past Friday, Nintendo ( OTC:NTDOY) released one of its most anticipated games for the Wii U, Mario Kart 8. He prefers long-term investments, largely in retail, medical, and tech. John Casteele is a freelance writer, editor, and occasional web cartoonist.