Topic: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Sales #1 In UK, Over 450,000 In United States

[Khushrenada]

The Madden Effect?

[nickmitch]

System Justification Game?

This is probably the closest to a serious guess, and I kinda like it.  But I think the word is just "complementary".  The games fill out a lineup that helps justify a console purchase. 

Installed Userbase Mustbuy?

Or yeah, a "must-buy".  That's already an existing term.

[ThePerm]

I think this demonstrates the idea that a game like Mario Kart is not a system seller but it sells big with an existing userbase.  We need a name for a type of game like that.  Both the Gamecube and Wii U had Mario Kart and both systems underperformed.  Mario Kart Wii however is one of the highest selling games ever.  This is literally the same game that couldn't move Wii U's and it's beating day one records set by Mario Kart Wii.  I think that proves it.  Mario Kart doesn't convince people to buy a Nintendo console but if they already own a Nintendo console for another reason (Breath of the Wild in this case) they sure as hell are buying Mario Kart.  I suspect the same for 2D Mario platformers due to the vast sales difference between NSMB on the Wii and Wii U.

Though I find it rather ironic that as a Wii U owner I already have the two biggest hits on the Switch.  There is no incentive for me to even consider a Switch purchase at this point.  This is the videogame equivalent of "if you haven't seen it, it's new to you!"

System Sticker. A game that doesn't necessarily sell systems but has an amazing attach rate.

Though I have a friend who bought a Wii U right before it was discontinued because he wanted to play Mario Kart, but he's also the friend who kept it in his box and never opened it. Actually, he has an Xbox 360 too and never took it out of the box. Actually, he's not my friend so much as he is a friend of a friend, and a hoarder. Though, I think his taste in games that he buys but never plays is pretty good.

[Mop it up]

I think this demonstrates the idea that a game like Mario Kart is not a system seller but it sells big with an existing userbase.

If you look at the system sales for GCN, Wii, Wii U, DS, and 3DS, they all went up when their respective Mario Kart game released, so there's no doubt that Mario Kart sells systems. I would say what this shows is that a system still needs to be a good / desirable system in order for games to sell it. People like the idea of the Switch, but few cared about the concept of Wii U.

[Sarail]

Khushrenada Recommended Purchase?

KRP Certified!â„¢

[Khushrenada]

Now that's a recommendation you can't trust!