Mario Kart 8 Releasing in May, Greater Focus on GamePad, NFC Game Announcements Coming at E3

During Nintendo's investor briefing, company president Satoru Iwata announced that Mario Kart 8 will be launching in May.

The release of this Wii U-exclusive racer is a huge deal, as the Mario Kart franchise is the Big N's biggest seller. With the console currently struggling to gain traction among consumers, hopefully a recognizable franchise like Mario Kart will be enough to put more people over the edge, causing a much needed spike in hardware sales.

In addition, the Nintendo exec also confirmed that the company will place a greater emphasis on capitalizing on the GamePad's unique feature set from here on out. In addition, games that make use of the controller's NFC capabilities will be revealed at E3.

[WSJ, Twitter]