3rd parties need to suck it up and build their own console where they won't have to compete with Nintendo, then they can just ignore them at their leisure instead of complaining all the time.

Q3 2012, meaning after that there would be no mario games, so after no mario game there would be doomsday

I think it's a pretty bad idea, third parties should find a way to sell

3rd parties won't work on wii, because they don't appeal to the audience, they don't make you "move" and they don't have anything to do with mario.

Well, we don't know what (if, admittedly anything) Nintendo communicated to third parties.

What I do know if that without first party games, the sales of the unit would slow. Then third parties would use that excuse not to develop for it.

Basically, Nintendo zagged while the rest of the industry zigged. It has split things into two almost equal parts. And most third parties are so heavily invested on the HD side (Xbox 360 and PS3) that they cannot change if they wanted to do so.

Mike from Morgantown

So 2years of bad sells for the console? Other than a few here and there 3rd parties are not known for actually making good games. That is their problem. When I see Nintendo I know it will be quality every time. I cannot say that for anyone else. Use to I could Sega and Square. So if I am in a period of where say I can only buy 4-5 full retail games for the year, it is safe to assume everysingle one will probably be a Nintendo made game.

Seriously, this is just bullshit.. Tell me, if Super Mario Galaxy or New Super Mario Bros. Wii was on PS3 or XBOX 360 do you think GTAIV, MGS4, Call of Duty 4, WaW, MW2, ME, RE5, Bioshock, Street Fighter IV, FFXII or... anything third party would sell any less?

The problem is that third parties didn't build a fan base on Wii from the start, they can't turn that around now, it's too late. Nintendo doesn't need to cater to third parties at all by not releasing hardware sellers, third parties need to put plans in place to lure fans of certain IP's to the next Nintendo console OR build new IP's for the system from the start, not limp in after a year or rush a product to launch (Red Steel) or keep releasing "test" games and not following up quick enough.

Do NOT blame Nintendo for third party incompetence.

And also @Puffy and @Games4Fun:

No, no!  Not 2 years without 1st party games, just without Mario! IMHO Nintendo is perfectly right when it slaughters bad Wii-Something-like games, my wacky theory is that it's only Mario that kills good games too. Mario caters too much for early Nintendo die-hard adopters, then the addiction is passed to new users too, they can't build a new Mario-free majority, as they didn't buy Wii all at once, but they did and are doing it gradually (although at a spectacular rate), so they never got a chance to overwhelme the old Mario order, but as soon as they join they get brainwashed by older Mario priests and evil Mario himself and they become marioholics, then 3rd parties are domed even if they release good games. It's a plumber conspiracy!

What's next, saying Hollywood film studios should stop producing major blockbusters to give independent studios a better chance or say American Farmers should stop growing Corn to allow for developing nations to get a better foothold into the market and be less dependent on the US?

Face it, third parties are relying on major IPs like Mario to spur the growth of the Wii and trying to ride on its success to drive their own sales. Then turning around when their less than A quality games don't sell a million and claiming games like Mario Galaxy stole all their sales. You can't try to ride on the success of anothers achievements, and then blame them for upstaging your work.

You're giving Mario far too much credit.   Wii has already brought on many non-Mario fans who buy primarily Wii ___ titles.   Mario titles don't sell as well as Wii____ titles.   SMG sold about 9m, Mario Party 8 about 8m, Mario Super Sluggers and Strikers Charged (and NPC Tennis) about 1m each.   The exceptions being the two Mario Wii titles - Mario Kart Wii at 21m and NSMB Wii which will pass 20m too.     Meanwhile Wii Sports Resort, Wii Play, Wii Fit are all 20m+ (or soon will be) and even the 'epic fail' Wii Music sold about 4m which is a major hit for any other franchise and far more than most 'Mario' titles.

Instead of releasing Mario Party 9 which would likely sell another 5-8m, Nintendo is making Wii Party which will likely sell 10-20m.   Mario isn't a problem, in fact he's a necessary touchstone to connect the new 'Wii' audience to the more core 'Mario/Nintendo' audience.

Mike is right.  The problem isn't Mario.   It's that Nintendo Zagged while the industry zigged and the industry is too set to follow Nintendo's lead. 

Yes, this is true, but it's just because 3rd party "grok" traditional gaming more than new Wii one that Mario, despite having lower sales than WiiFit or WiiSports, overwhelmes them more: Mario appeals to core gamers, and they are the ones 3rd parties are still more prepared to satisfy. Maybe 3rd parties will be prepared also for new styles of gaming by next gen, but during this one the more traditional ones are their forte, that's why Mario hits them harder, about party, sports and fitness games they wouldn't excel even if Nintendo stopped selling WiiFit and WiiSports, indeed to get some grip there they must learn from Nintendo, not whine. But Mario has a carisma so excessive that he takes the vast majority of Nintendo core gamers. This one of mine is a paradox, anyway, I perfectly know Nintendo would be crazy to stop selling Mario for so long, but the problem exists. And saying every 3rd party game is crap is simply false, it can be true for most casual 3rd party shovelware, but games praised by both users and critics sold under what they deserved, despite the huge Wii user base. Good for Sony and MS anyway...