During Nintendo’s investor Q&A today, shareholders asked if there would ever be a Switch 2 game that outsells Mario Kart (likely referring to Mario Kart World). At present, World has moved 9.5 million units and is at something like a 95% attach rate with Nintendo Switch 2 console sales. The previous game in the series, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, moved nearly 70 million units on Switch 1 against at least 140 million consoles and is the highest-selling game on the platform. Could it be that Mario Kart is just that popular?
Miyamoto isn’t quite convinced, but he does believe it will be a tall order to beat the kart racer. “At Nintendo, we always approach our work with the belief that there are no limits,” he told investors. “For example, when we attempted film with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it was compared to the box office receipts of other films. However, even if we were to reach number one on that list, I believe there is always something even better.”
That belief is what stops Miyamoto from making a declarative statement about Mario Kart. “If some of Nintendo’s IP or systems are widely accepted by consumers as something ‘never before seen,’ there is a possibility that we could achieve numbers that go beyond the boundaries of entertainment,” he explains. “However, even if that situation were to occur, Mario Kart would likely continue to sell even more in that arena, so it may never be surpassed.”
He then broke off into a story about the creation of the original Pokémon in Japan. According to Miyamoto, Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri joked with Miyamoto that “if you want to surpass Nintendo’s Mario, you’ll have to sell two copies of the software to each customer.” That is what spurred the sale of Red and Green in Japan, and that type of outside-the-box thinking is what led to greater sales than Mario could achieve at the time. “I believe that it is precisely because there are people like this who are determined to ‘surpass them somehow’ that new things are born,” Miyamoto concluded.
It’s certainly far too early to tell if Mario Kart World will dominate the Switch 2 sales charts for the console’s entire life, but considering that 8 Deluxe still sells, it’s entirely possible. The $80 price tag hurts, but I guess people see enough value in Mario Kart to justify the cost.
Check out more Mario Kart content
Mario Kart World tops the UK physical charts again, dethroning Metal Gear Solid Delta
PETA issues protest letter over Mario Kart World’s cow for having a nose ring
Leave a Comment
Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
