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Mario Kart has repeated what it accomplished in both the UK and Japan by giving Wii U hardware sales a boost in the US.
Analyst David Gibson says that the game sold 450,000 units in its first three days of release in America, boosting Wii U console sales by 4.1 per cent and boasting an 18 per cent attach rate.
For comparison, 3DS title Mario Kart 7sold 250,000 in the same period, boosting 3DS sales 2.4 per cent with an attach rate of seven per cent. Of course that comparison isn’t strictly relevant, as 3DS was faring far better than Wii U, so a smaller boost would be a given.
Nonetheless, the news tops off what is probably Nintendo’s best week for some years and adds to Mario Kart 8’s early success. While the game sold significantly fewer units in the UK, it still boosted UK Wii U hardware sales by 666 per cent – although they have sharply declined since.
In Japan, meanwhile hardware sales doubled on the game’s release, with the game itself selling 350,000 units in week one.
#nintendo in analyst meeting said in usa sold 450k of MK8 in 3 days versus 250k on MK7.
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) June 11, 2014
#Nintendo said MK8 attach rate in US was 18% versus 7% for MK7. MK8 boosted WiiU sales 4.1x week over week v. MK7 2.4x
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) June 11, 2014
