Nintendo Switch: 'Mario Kart 8 Deluxe' Sells Record Number Of Units For Mario Kart Series

Nintendo's staggered release plan for the Nintendo Switch has been a talking point for critics, but for the company's first-party titles, the strategy has another point in its favor. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" sold more than 459,000 copies on its launch day April 28, making it the fastest selling title in the Mario Kart series. As Nintendo noted in a statement confirming the launch numbers, the record was previously set by 2008's "Mario Kart Wii," which sold 433,900 copies on its launch day. Nintendo also touted the game's MetaCritic score of 93 in its statement. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is a Switch port of "Mario Kart 8," which originally released in May 2014 for the Wii U. Along with featuring many of the same core gameplay mechanics, the updated port also features an expanded Battle Mode, new levels, characters and in-game items.