Following up on the news that the Wii U's hardware sales have surged by 666% in the United Kingdom, new stats have been revealed indicating that Mario Kart 8, the recently released Wii U exclusive, has managed to move 1.2 million stock keeping units worldwide over the course of the weekend.

Nintendo Everything is reporting that Nintendo has sent out a press release indicating that Mario Kart 8 is a sales monster, with Reggie Fils-Aime saying...

“The early response to Mario Kart 8 demonstrates that the best days for Wii U are still ahead. 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!”

I really screwed up guys... big time. I mean, I made a huge mistake, a mistake on Don Mattrick levels: I already used the Reggie gif in the other article. The load was blown too soon!

No worries, there's still this megaton.

Gaming Blend fans always deliver.

Getting back to the butt-whooping that Nintendo is unleashing on eighth-gen right now, Mario Kart 8 was pegged as being “just another release”, but it's turned into the shovel to which Sony and Microsoft are being buried in sales by the Wii U, much like Triple H burying Chris Jericho's hall of fame career, or Batista's skinny jeans burying his manhood.

Nintendo Everything also pulled quotes from Nintendo of Europe's president, Satoru Shibata, who stated that...

“Such positive early feedback for Mario Kart 8 reinforces the great gameplay experiences that Wii U currently offers. With Nintendo set to showcase its future releases at E3 next week, this is a great milestone going into the summer season.”

With sales measured for Mario Kart 8 between May 29th and June 1st, and the game shifting 1.2 million copies so quickly, I would estimate that the title could easily hit 5 million before June is out.

The real question is how many Wii U SKUs can Nintendo get off the shelf with the help of Mario Kart 8? And will the megatons that the Big 'N' drop at E3 be enough to keep the sales momentum up for the console leading through the summer and toward the big holiday rush? June, July and August and will be crucial months for the Wii U and could determine if they have a devil's chance in Mary's chapel to thwart the PS4 from the leader position during the eighth-gen console race.

You can pick up a copy of Mario Kart 8 right now, exclusively for the Wii U for $59.99 or grab the special Wii U bundle pack that includes the whole kit and caboodle for a special price.