Nintendo has done a great job (and sometimes not so great) job over the years of pushing a new system with a new franchise.  Something fresh, ground-breaking and impressive.  We have seen new franchises launch with a sytem (SMB, Wii Sports), or salvage a sytem later (DKC).  We've seen games like Goldeneye come along and boost N64 to "ok" numbers and we've seen Nintendo's best system, the DS, have one innovative title after another (Nintendogs, Brain Training, etc).

Super Mario 3D World looks like an extremely well executed game to me.  I think it will be very popular and move systems, especially among those who have been enjoying 3D Land on 3DS.  But I think if they want Wii U to really take off like Wii or DS or 3DS they need something totally fresh that makes buzz.  And this needs to come in 2014.

What do you think it should be?  An adult title?  A new twist on a platformer?  Something with heavy online? A party game?  Something using the gamepad?  I think this fresh title could be a new franchise or a re-imagining of a long-dormantone (DKC, NSMB), but it needs to be something that would create a stir in the industry.

nintendo needed a new franchise for the gamecube

But people don't buy them

That's what Luigi's Mansion and Animal Crossing essentially were. And they were the 4th and 5th best selling games on the system.

New franchises aren't what's necessary. COMPELLING franchises are what's necessary. The two often overlap, but not always.

No, they need to go back in time and design a different console with continued focus on the Wii-mote and an actual battle plan.

Anyhow, I think that a new Nintendo IP meant to sell the Wii U should cater to the Wii U. So let's start from there and see what the Wii U has.

*More horsepower than the PS360 and common tablets and the like, but less than its rival consoles
*A tablet controller
*An online network that's free and includes Miiverse
*Low price

This suggests that the ideal new game for the Wii U would not necessarily be the most graphics or engine intensive, but would have an emphasis on universality and communication, not to mention taking advantage of the touchscreen.

So, everybody who buys a Wii U can play this game without paying for online. They can buy a Wii U and talk about the game on Miiverse without even buying the game themselves. The game would benefit from social interactions, both with friends and strangers. Hmm...

Maybe something like Wind Waker HD and Dark Souls, with messages left in other players' worlds would be a feature?

Perhaps user generated content could be taken advantage of.

Hmm...



I'm thinking a new 2D platformer Kirby game with an emphasis on user-created and shared levels. Sort of a LittleBigPlanet ripoff, but actually fun to play and with Kirby's powers adding variety.

Luigi's Mansion, Animal Crossing (first AC for the west), Pikmin, Metroid Prime (not necessarily a new franchise but it was the first 3D Metroid)

They could make some kind of minecraft rip off. They have the opportunity, Mojang is way too slow to update their game. 

You forgot about Pikmin.  Pikmin was a defining GameCube game for a certain amount of people.  I'm not sure if Luigi's Mansion counted as a new IP.  I mean it was certainly an innovative game design, but it used long-time characters from the Mario series.  Luigi, Toad, Boo, Bowser, etc.  New IPs typically have entirely new characters in addition to new game design.

And I think more to the topic in the OP, I'd have to say it's probably the new game(s) Miyamoto is working on.  At least one of them will be a new franchise for Nintendo to help give the Wii U some identity.  Right now Wii U is just totally lost on most people.  Hopefully they are full $59 AAA releases, and not experimental eShop games.  eShop games won't help Nintendo sell more Wii Us.

They need more HD remakes: SMB3, SMW, Super Metroid, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Mario Party 1-3, Mario Kart 64, etc.