Super Mario Party has already passed 5m. I didn't expect it to do this well already. And you know that Mario Party games will have legs unless they release another one this year, lol.

The Switch version alone will likely pass MKDS lifetime eventually, at which point it'll start to approach MK Wii when combined with the Wii U version. It'll need just 5 million more past that. If Switch gets close to Wii hardware sales, then with the attach rate of MK8D, it might pass MK Wii by itself.

I agree, with how well MK8D is selling and with the Switch not even 2 years old yet, there is absolutely no rush or hurry to make Mario Kart 9. 

A new IP would be great, though I'd also be down with an ARMS sequel that tries to expand upon what worked with that game while trimming the fat of what didn't to make a solid, A+ sequel that can lead to a better performance and another solid addition to Nintendo's IP catalogue.

To help put it in perspective:

Best selling 3D Mario before Odyssey:
Super Mario Galaxy - 12.78 million on a final install base of 101.63 million Wii units. - Over 3 times the Switch's current install base!

Best selling Zelda before Breath of the Wild:
Twilight Princess - 7.26 million on the Wii; 1.43 million on the GameCube; 8.69 million total on a combined final install base of 123.37 million Wii & GameCube units. - Nearly 4 times the Switch's current install base!

What Nintendo's franchises are achieving on the Switch already, this early in the system's lifespan, is nothing short of incredible!

Yeah, Nintendo is moving a lot of hardware but it's really the software that's standing out. Hopefully we will also see some healthy growth for Bayonetta and Metroid Prime once they are out.

Yes, Nintendo's software has been killing it. I see many of the Switch versions of different Nintendo properties being their best seller.

The only way for Nintendo to fudge this up would be if they start releasing another Zelda/Mario/other game that's a sequel to one already on the Switch (I'm looking at you Mario Party! The Switch doesn't need four Mario Party games in it's lifecycle!). I bring this up because I see the Switch having an unusually long life cycle for a Nintendo console.

And Fire Emblem.

And while we're at it, why don't we bring back some old school franchises to take advantage of the momentum they've built up to this point on the Switch?

*coughF-Zerocough*

Bayonetta, Fire Emblem and Pikmin can all grow substantially on their average sales if they're marketed well. Any of them making 10m is a massive long shot, but 5m for all is doable.

Switch software in general is doing crazy, Smash in particular is ridiculous, just as I thought it would be

Pikmin has been pretty unlucky since it always released on a poor selling console, 1 & 2 on Gamecube, 3 in Wii U. It will be interesting to see how it finally does on a platform that is actually popular.

To be fair, ARMS was not a bad game and is still getting Party Crash events so it's not like Yabuki and his team completely abandoned. While it's very solid game, ARMS' downfall, unfortunately, was that it's free content updates did not give it enough relevance post-release. Didn't help that while the gameplay is great, spectators may feel turned off by it as it may look like nothing more than flailing "arms." Plus, Splatoon 2 would release the following month and steal some of ARMS' thunder. Despite that, ARMS sold around 2 million, which is nothing to scoff at. Tekken 7 has sold around 3 million and people consider that a success nowadays for a fighting game.

The sales of Nintendo's first party titles are insane. Despite not having the install base of the PS4, the Switch has already established really solid software sales. Incredible that Smash Bros. Ultimate reached the 12 million mark and vindicated Nintendo's decision to promote the game to the core from E3 on. The directs and the 25 minute section at E3 were utilized to showcase Smash Bros. Ultimate as THE Ultimate Smash Bros. game. No ifs, ands, or buts. It's the crossover event of the generation, if not in all of gaming history. As I said numerous times, Smash Bros. Ultimate is the equivalent of Avengers: Infinity War and Justice League Unlimited.

I am glad Pokemon Let's Go proved people wrong. It's an inoffensive remake of Pokemon Yellow with Pokemon Go elements. It did its job in pushing hardware in November and December.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is incredible. For a port of a Wii U game, it appears to be the GTAV for the Switch, constantly selling well as a port and pushing hardware when people do not expect it. This puts Nintendo in an interesting position as there appears to be no signs of MK8D slowing down and people wonder about MK9.

Super Mario Odyssey and Zelda BOTW are incredible games and their sales more than reflect their increasing appeal. Super Mario Party is a nice surprise and appears to find a nice audience who longed for a return to form for the series.

I think, overall, these first party sales are something to behold. It shows Nintendo's brand is as strong as ever and has the potential to continue growing with its upcoming games at the helm such as Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion 3, Pokemon Gen 8, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Daemon x Machina, etc. I guess this also gives Nintendo little reason to permanently cut prices of their games as sales do not appear to be slowing down and they can still build revenue off the evergreens, even with temporary discounts down to $40 or so. So even if say, Splatoon 2 matches Uncharted 4's LT sales, you could say that Splatoon 2 brought in more LT revenue as it only had temporary price cuts down to $45 or so while Unchared 4 decreased to $20 or so. Not saying its a good or bad thing, just seeing looking at it for what its worth.