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Nintendo has just released a transcript of its latest Q&A session following its Q2 2025 financial release. It’s a pretty short one overall with few surprises, but one question regarding the Mario Kart franchise definitely piqued our interest.
Essentially, the query raises the possibility of another IP surpassing the sales of the Mario Kart franchise on Switch 2. As we know, Mario Kart World has already sold 9.57 million units on new console, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is comfortably the best-selling Switch game at an astonishing 69.56 million units.
Shigeru Miyamoto answered by stating that Nintendo has always worked with the belief that “there are no limits”, citing the comparisons made between The Super Mario Bros. Movie and other films released around the same time. If the film has reached number one, Nintendo believes it can always strive to do more.
He goes on to say that the if a new IP resonates with players, then it could absolutely go on to commercial success. But then he counters this by stating that Mario Kart would continue to sell regardless, and so “it may never be surpassed”.
Amusingly, he then recalls a conversation with Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri. Speaking about the creation of Pokémon in Japan, Tajiri had supposedly joked with Miyamoto, stating “if you want to surpass Nintendo’s Mario, you’ll have to sell two copies of the software to each customer”. This is apparently one of the driving forces behind the decision to create Pokémon Red and Green.
Surpassing Mario Kart will definitely be a tricky task for any publisher, including Nintendo itself. Not even the might of games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate could knock Mario Kart 8 Deluxe off its throne.
We’ll have to see how things pan out with the Switch 2 in the years to come.
Do you think Mario Kart World’s sales will be surpassed on the Switch 2? Or has it already got too much of a head start? Let us know with a comment.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
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Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry.