


Porting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the Nintendo Switch was 'kind of an afterthought,' and now it's so popular that getting fans to switch could be a challenge
Apr 01, 2025 pm 05:02 PMWith over 67 million copies sold on the Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been quite the success for the House of Mario. According to two former employees, though, Nintendo didn't have a "clue" that it would be the "juggernaut" it was.
Speaking in a new video titled "The problem with the new Mario Kart game on Nintendo Switch 2," Nintendo of America alumni Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang – Nintendo of America's former director of social media marketing, and former senior manager of creator relations, respectively – recall the Nintendo Switch's launch and its line up of games.
According to Yang, "inside Nintendo, [there was] not a clue that this was going to be the juggernaut," with Ellis adding that Mario Kart 8 was "kind of an afterthought." So many people missed Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, so why not port it over and give it a second shot at life?
You may like- "This is unlike Nintendo": Former marketer thinks Mario Kart being a Switch 2 launch game isn't as ideal as OG Switch's Breath of the Wild combo
- I'm convinced Mario Kart 9 is the first official Nintendo Switch 2 game, with what looks like 24-person multiplayer
The rest is history, with Yang saying it "sold and sold and sold and sold and sold," as the numbers above demonstrate. According to Nintendo's own sales data, around 75 million copies were sold across the Wii U and Nintendo Switch, and it's fairly clear which console is contributing the lion's share.
Naturally, success throws up future challenges. Yang says Nintendo has done well to capitalize on the success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with extra servings of content, though the developer is now in the position of needing to convince people to abandon their history with the game and pick up a Switch 2 to play the new Mario Kart game and start over again.
"I don't know there's that many people out there who are sick of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," Ellis says. "It's maybe not the game that we're playing day in and day out, but we all have our reasons for returning to it."
As for how Nintendo will do in drumming up excitement for Mario Kart 9, we don't have long to wait and find out. The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct is barely one week away, and the new racer is bound to feature. Who knows, maybe it'll be the one we'll be playing for the next 10 years.
Some Mario Kart 9 fans are less concerned about whether or not the racer will be Nintendo Switch 2's launch title than they are about its name.
The above is the detailed content of Porting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the Nintendo Switch was 'kind of an afterthought,' and now it's so popular that getting fans to switch could be a challenge. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Hot AI Tools

Undress AI Tool
Undress images for free

Undresser.AI Undress
AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover
Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Clothoff.io
AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap
Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Article

Hot Tools

Notepad++7.3.1
Easy-to-use and free code editor

SublimeText3 Chinese version
Chinese version, very easy to use

Zend Studio 13.0.1
Powerful PHP integrated development environment

Dreamweaver CS6
Visual web development tools

SublimeText3 Mac version
God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)

A new update for The Last of Us Part 2 lets you play the game's story in chronological orderNaughty Dog says Chronogical mode will allow players to "will gain even deeper insight into Part 2’s narrative"New trophies and Uncharted 4-themed s

Apple is working on a more affordable version of the MacBook that's powered by an A-series iPhone chip rather than an M-series Apple silicon chip. We've rounded up all of the rumors about the new machine, which is expected next year.DesignThe upcomin

Apple is working on a set of smart glasses that will rival Meta's popular AI-equipped Ray-Bans, offering many of the same features. Rumors about Apple's work on the glasses have been picking up, and we've gathered all of the information we've heard i

The Messages app has the Liquid Glass redesign that's been introduced throughout iOS 26, but Apple also added several long-desired features that make for a better experience in both one-to-one and group chats, such as custom backgrounds and group typ

A Nintendo Switch 2 owner was reportedly banned after playing legitimate second-hand games that were later found to be clonedReddit user 'dmanthey' says they were able to reverse the ban after speaking to NintendoNintendo has been cracking down on pi

Former Microsoft executive Peter Moore has said that if Xbox hadn't spent so much time and money repairing Xbox 360 consoles, "I'm not sure the Xbox brand would be around today"Moore called it a "defining moment" for the companyHe

Smart home accessory maker Aqara today launched the Doorbell Camera Hub G410, which integrates with HomeKit and offers HomeKit Secure Video Support.I was able to test the Doorbell Camera Hub G410 ahead of launch, and it's a solid doorbell camera, and

Prime Day is nearly over, but there's still time to bag my favorite Xbox controller ever for a massively reduced price!Honestly, if you're thinking of getting one Xbox or PC controller this Prime Day, then I really think it should be the Thrustmaster
