Mario Kart 8 could be the push Wii U needs for a more sustainable sales momentum, Nintendo UK's Mario brand manager has said.
Roger Langford told MCV that Nintendo is putting a lot of effort into pushing the game before its launch and plans to continue that effort afterward. The company published two new TV commercials for the racer on Monday. "I certainly feel that Mario Kart 8 can be the catalyst that will broaden Wii U's horizons," Langford said. "It's very important for us that we have a successful launch and continue the promotion throughout the year and beyond."
Langford said it wouldn't be the first time that Mario Kart has demonstrated the value of Nintendo hardware: from the original, which was one of the first two-player racing games on SNES, to Mario Kart Wii, which was one of the system's best-integrated online titles.
"Mario Kart is one of our killer titles," Langford said. "Looking back at Super Mario Kart and then moving through the ages, you can see how integral Mario Kart is to Nintendo hardware. It always brings out the best in whatever hardware it is on."
In our Mario Kart 8 review, we hailed it as "a multiplayer event showcasing Nintendo doing what it does best: bashing your expectations (which should already have been lofty) into dust and then rebuilding them anew into something bigger and better than you had imagined."
A Mario Kart 8 Limited Edition package is available to pre-order now ahead of the Mario Kart 8 release date of May 30.