Perpetuating the belief that your company lacks variety or fresh content doesn't strike me as a particularly good idea.

But guaranteeing millions of sales because your game has the word Mario in the title sure does.

In the past? Yes. Nowadays? Not so much, and I think they realised this too after 3D World didn't do as well as they wanted.

In other words, trading short term profit for long term damage to the company's reputation among the gamers it depends upon for survival.

Retagging for good measure.

SM3DW sold to like a third of the audience. 2.22m. I don't think they're disappointed at all.

Agreed, but it should have permanently improved the Wii U's baseline.

I'd love to see how many of those guys changed their tune and decided, "oh boy! A new IP!? From Nintendo!? NOT Mario!? I'm definitely going to buy a Wii U for this could-have-been-a-mario-game-but-isn't now! Nintendo has redemed themselves!!!"

No one who want's Mario gone wanted Splatoon or W101 instead. That doesn't change anything. This helps nothing.

I don't see why anyone thought it would absolutely when nothing of signifigance would come out for the Wii U after it until Mario Kart 8 in (basically) June.

People want to see fresh new content from Nintendo. A new IP provides this.

The "all they do is rehash Mario" stigma has been a blight on their image for a while now, Mario Paintball would have made it worse.