GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Mario Kart 8 Helps Wii U Hardware Sales Climb 666 Percent in the UK

Plus, 82 percent of Mario Kart 8 game sales came through the special bundle; Watch Dogs the best-selling game overall last week.

302 Comments
Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
00:00:00
Sorry, but you can't access this content!
Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

UK retail tracking company GFK Chart-Track announced today that Mario Kart 8's release on Friday helped Wii U hardware sales rise a massive (and devilish) 666 percent in the UK. Nintendo believes that a single title can alter the fate of a platform; could Mario Kart 8 be that game?

Specific sales figures were not divulged, and Chart-Track does not track digital sales, but the firm added that 82 percent of total Mario Kart 8 sales in the UK came through the Mario Kart 8 bundle. In addition, Mario Kart 8 recorded the best-selling first week for any Wii U game since the platform's launch in the UK in 2012.

Overall, Mario Kart 8 was the second best-selling game of the week, only behind Ubisoft's Watch Dogs, which is the fastest selling game in Ubisoft's history. Notably, Watch Dogs launched for five platforms (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC), while Mario Kart 8 is a Wii U-exclusive.

Watch Dogs has now crushed the first-week UK sales record for a new IP, with unit sales 58 percent better than past record-holder L.A. Noire (2011). The game also outperformed Assassin's Creed III (2012) by 17 percent to become Ubisoft's biggest launch in the UK. The game also helped move hardware, as the special Watch Dogs PS4 bundle accounted for more than 53 percent of PS4 hardware sales during the week. Overall, GFK Chart-Track's data for the week also showed that PS4 hardware in the UK rose 94 percent week-over-week.

Top 5 Best-Selling Games In The UK Last Week:

  1. Watch Dogs
  2. Mario Kart 8
  3. Wolfenstein: The New Order
  4. FIFA 14
  5. Minecraft: PS3 Edition

Nintendo has not announced official Mario Kart 8 sales yet. Next week, the NPD Group is expected to disclose US industry sales for May, but because Mario Kart 8's release came on May 30, this report will only count two days' worth of sales.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 302 comments about this story