Prediction: NSMB's successor will launch this year

[gumby_trucker]

As far as making a sequel for the DS, sales show maybe Nintendo thought there wasn't much of a reason. The game is still selling at pretty much the same pace as it was 2-3 years ago. I guess Nintendo did the math and made the decision that not diluting the market or cannibalizing sales was more important for them then selling another 10+ mil. copies (minimum) and potentially lowering the brand equity. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me because NSMB level sales are nothing to scoff at, and if you think about games like Brain Training that were really milked on the DS it makes even less sense...

Maybe Nintendo team-leaders are simply growing too old and disconnected from reality. Miyamoto will be at the age of retirement in Japan next year (not that he will of course, which gives me cause for concern...), although it should be noted that retirement in Japan is slightly different than in the west as it usually means moving on to a part-time position and not quitting altogether.

Frankly, I am really eager to hear about Nintendo's new generation of designers, and learn about their respective visions for gaming.

As for sales of the new 3DS Mario, it really doesn't give the impression of being that much of a heavy hitter so far. Nintendo have been speaking about the importance of stereoscopic 3D in platformers for quite a while now, and how it makes 3D games easier to play. I don't know if this kind of thing is really a selling point, and if it is how do you convey it?
Most of the people who love 2D Mario don't want to play 3D Mario, even if it is going to be easier for them now... You don't need the 3DS to prove this, it's not difficult to make a Mario 64 style game with more forgiving collisions, bigger platforms and weaker enemies etc. and I don't think that would reach 2D Mario levels of success, not even close.

Honestly instead of trying to combine 2D Mario with less popular forms of gameplay, Nintendo should just spin-off 2D Mario into its own company, like they did with Pokemon.