When a series expands, generally you can expect that the older entry will get phased out by fans in favor of the new game. Unless we’re talking about one of the most successful games of the generation. When it comes to the force known as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a new console and franchise entry means absolutely nothing, apparently. Nintendo’s decade-old racer is still trucking based on the most recent U.S. sales numbers from the month of July.
Circana analyst Mat Piscatella posted the gaming industry’s most recent sales data on social media earlier this week, and there’s plenty to ponder. On the whole, Nintendo Switch 2 is doing excellent in terms of adoption. It was the best-selling console in the U.S. for the month of July, and with two million units sold, the Switch 2 is currently 75% ahead of the pace of the Switch during a similar timeframe. But you can’t count the Switch out just yet.
Remember, the Switch is on track to eventually become the most successful piece of dedicated gaming hardware ever. Currently, Switch is the second most successful gaming console of all time, behind the PlayStation 2. New games are still coming to Switch, and the console is also cheaper than its shinier successor, even after a recent price hike. Most people buying a Switch 2 might be picking up Mario Kart World, and plenty of people on Switch already own Mario Kart 8.
Still, the Switch’s audience is vast. 153 million people own a Switch as of August. There are probably more people on Switch that don’t have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe than Switch 2 owners who don’t have Mario Kart World. This might explain how Mario Kart World went from being the No. 1 Nintendo game in the U.S. in June to suddenly being knocked back down to sixth place. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, meanwhile, went from seventh place in June to fourth place in July.
Both kart games were outdone by Donkey Kong Bananza, which came out in July and was the best-selling game for the platform that month. Actually, Bananza is doing well enough that it’s cracked the top 20 best-selling games of the year already in the U.S., and it’s the sole Nintendo game with that distinction so far. Bananza was also the third best-selling game on any platform in July. If we take all platforms into consideration, the top three year-to-date sales consist of Monster Hunter Wilds, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, and EA Sports College Football 26.
If nothing else, those of you who really hate the Mario Kart World track changes even after Nintendo’s tinkered with them might want to look into booting the older game back up. People are still playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and you won’t have to deal with those boring interstitial tracks there.
