This is a topic I've been wanting to create for a long time. Guys, is it bold to say that the Mario Kart franchise has outclassed the Super Mario Bros. franchise? I don't know if "outclass" is the right word here, what I mean is that it seems that Mario Kart is sooo huge nowadays, that I'm starting to see it more relevant and prominet in the cultural game imaginary than Super Mario Bros. games. I've seen things like people mentioning from the top of their minds great games in the Switch and most of times it goes like "The switch has Mario Kart, Zelda Breath of the Wild, ... , Super Mario Odyssey". People always bring up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe first, and then Super Mario Odyssey later. I know that since the Wii, Mario Kart has been the most sold game in Nintendo plataforms but it seems like in the Switch era, Nintendo has actively been pushing Mario Kart, not 3D/2D Mario, as the company's flagship franchise (alongside Open-World Zelda). 3D and 2D Mario games' sales pale in comparison to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's sales. In the mobile, Mario Kart Tour got way more attention than Super Mario Run or any attempt to create a better 2D game for mobiles. Nintendo didn't have to, but they made sure to include Mario Kart in the Super Nintendo World park and in the Mario Movie. The first Switch 2 game revealed was the new Mario Kart game!
Most of us are grown-up people who know Mario very well as the plumber man who jumps around stepping on goombas in 2D and 3D games. But if we asked a kid "Who is Mario?", would him/her say "The dude from the racing game"?. Do youngsters associate Mario first to Mario Kart or Super Mario Bros. games?
Has the spin-off outclassed the main franchise?
Edit: Ah, before comments start rolling up, I would like this discussion to focus not in the sales department, but in the cultural game imaginary I mentioned