Wow it will beat the DS version?

Crazy.

Damn, in less than a year it sold 14 million, that's crazy. I don't even want to predict what it's lifetime sells would be.

http://vgchartz.com/swlaunch.php?reg1=All&game1=Mario+Kart+Wii+-+Wii&reg2=All&game2=Mario+Kart+DS+-+DS&reg3=All&game3=&weeks=166

 Well, I estimate 23M at the end of 09.

Then it should definitely sell 5-4-3M over 10-11-12 (it's MK after all! MK is historically the best legged Nintendo titles (I'm fairly sure).

So I think 35M seems like a given.

I'd put it in 35-40M lifetime, and that's actually pessimistic.

if they end up selling 40 million copies of the game, how much money will even half of those people playing online cost nintendo? they must be buying more and more servers all the time to offset the rapidly increasing online player base.

 Well, let's say they earn 20 dollars pr copy (conservative, but economy might have changed it so it's like that).

Then they earn 800 million dollars on the game.

Do the servers cost even 10 million to have to a year? I doubt it.

The server cost is minimal compared to what they make.

I doubt people expected this before MKWii launched.

Correct.

I was one of the incredibly optimistic, and I expected them to end tied (both at ~ 18M).

It looks like MKWii has a shot at selling close to that in 52 weeks. (And MKDS should beat it as well. )

MK Wii is a dynamo.

i just joined the amarican gp league a few weeks ago, and it's re-lighted my mk drive! i'm now addicted to online again, and i'm trying to improve my skillz so i don't get last place again (crap, you people are like gaming gods)