7 Years Later, the Most Hotly Debated 'Mario Kart' Game Is Officially Shutting Down

Nintendo has few series that are as widely popular as Mario Kart. Since the first game debuted on the Super Nintendo in 1992, the spin-off racing franchise has become the face of an entire subgenre of arcade racers that is beloved by both casual fans having fun and crashing out with friends, and hardcore gamers trying to set the best times. Nearly every entry has been received warmly upon release, and most have expanded on their predecessors, whether with new tracks, better graphics, more racers, or different mechanics that help them stand out. Anyone who owns a console generally has a good chance of owning some version of the game, too, as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe alone has sold over 70.59 million copies, good for the fifth-most of any game all-time and ahead of even the original Super Mario Bros.