REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Momentum is spelled M-A-R-I-O K-A-R-T.

The Mario Kart 8 game for the Wii U console just launched around the world to global acclaim, earning some of the strongest review scores in franchise history, including becoming the 14th Wii U game to launch in the U.S. with a Metacritic score of 85 or higher. Nintendo reported today that the game sold more than 1.2 million* total units across Japan, Europe and the Americas during its first weekend on the market.**

“The early response to Mario Kart 8 demonstrates that the best days for Wii U are still ahead,” said Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “This year’s E3 is just days away, and it will be all about the future games for Nintendo platforms. This milestone is a great place to start!”

Prior to Mario Kart 8, the seven games that have launched previously in the series have combined to sell more than 100 million total units worldwide. This includes two of the best-selling video games of all time: Mario Kart Wii for Wii and Mario Kart DS for the Nintendo DS family of systems. The full list includes:

Title System Global Sales (as of 3/31/14)
Super Mario Kart Super Nintendo 8.76 million
Mario Kart 64 Nintendo 64 9.87 million
Mario Kart Advance Game Boy Advance 5.91 million
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Nintendo GameCube 6.88 million
Mario Kart DS Nintendo DS 23.56 million
Mario Kart Wii Wii 35.53 million
Mario Kart 7 Nintendo 3DS 9.62 million
Total: 100.13 million

*Based on Nintendo’s internal sales figures.

**Mario Kart 8 launched on Thursday, May 29, in Japan and Friday, May 30, across Europe and the Americas.