Does anyone else feel that Pokemon has become even more popular than Mario as of late? Of course, Mario still has the edge sales wise, but that includes all the spinoff games. Its just something I thought about.

Any thoughts?

I feel like its always been like that. After all Pokemon has gone so far as to have not only a successful game series, but also merchandise, toys, card game, and anime.

To think that Pokemon almost never got released back when Game Freak was unsure about its success and future...

Nowadays, it's literally everywhere, especially in Japan.

It's obvious they are both Nintendo's biggest money makers, but I wonder which franchise they depend on more? A few years back I would have said Mario, but I can't help but feel there's been so many Pokemon releases lately they seem to be really pushing it out there.

Yes, yes it has

No. New Super Mario Bros. Wii alone has probably sold as much as every main Pokemon game combined. I don't think that's even hyperbole.

Very exaggerated. The Pokemon games pump out in the high millions.

That's definitely not accurate at all.

yeah, you're probably right. I clearly wasn't thinking...

I say both are pretty even, though Mario was created about 15 years before pokemon, if pokemon was created around the same time that Mario was, then who knows, both are the best selling franchises and that's quite the accomplishment.

Honestly, I think Mario Kart might be the deciding factor. Pokemon doesn't have a spinoff anywhere even near as popular as Mario Kart.

Not to mention the annoyance of Nintendo sometimes over relying on Mario as of late comes from somewhere and Pokemon hasn't had as much issue from people. Probably because Pokepark and Mystery Dungeon and whatever, regardless of success, aren't actively overshadowing other games (spoilers: Mario is the only reason Rayman Legends was delayed). Though that's the main series, Pokemon might have unfairly overshadowed some games (spoilers: buy Radiant Historia)

First thing I found when I googled it.

"List of best-selling video game franchises - Wikipedia, the f...
With 240 million total sales and over 200 games, Mario places in beteween 1 million and 1.2 million sales per game (since it said over 200 I can't calculate exact totals).

at 207 million sales and 45 titles, Pokemon averages 4.6 million sales per game

Take into account time frame
Mario sells an average of 8 million games a year
Pokemon sells an average of 13.8 million games a year

Pokemon sells more per year on average than any other game on the list of best selling franchises of all time. Only the Sims comes close with about 11.4 million per year."
http://3dsforums.com/lounge-2/pokemon-vs-mario-5663/

Not surprising at all.

Very interesting stuff ^

I happen to feel with Pokemon X and Y on the horizon, that it almost seems Nintendo really relies on Pokemon more so than Mario; definitely for handhelds at least. I guess Pokemon just appeals to a wider range of people than Mario does.

It just makes you wonder.

Could Nintendo sell a handheld without any Mario games? Possibly.
Could Nintendo sell a handheld without any Pokemon games? Possibly...not.

Considering the only Mario games on the GBA were ports.
Also, If it weren't for Pokemon I would have gotten a Vita over a 3DS.

@retro don't forget superstar saga

Not sure to be honest. On the one hand, Pokemon has more representation in other media nowadays and probably makes money as a result.

But on the other hand, I'd say a lot more people still know Mario is going as a series and don't look down on those that like it. Pokemon's one of those things that seems to be seen as a dead fad among people other than kids and college students. And the Mario series also tends to sell more than the Pokemon series does, with some of the 2D games selling more than any Pokemon game since generation 1. The spinoffs tend to be more popular and generally better received too, more people like Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Mario Party, etc than the likes of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokepark or the Stadium/Coliseum titles.

It's an unfair comparison if you include all spin offs of Mario. Those aren't as well received as the main series. If you throw out all the spin offs I still think Mario is way more popular. On the other hand pokemon has only been featured on hand helds so there exposure has been limited. Let's put it this way. Mario is popular enough to see those spin offs where pokemon is not or hasn't been given a good chance too! So no I still think Mario sells better. If you asked the average person on the street what comes to mind when you hear Nintendo Mario will come up far more often!

I would say Mario is still more popular than Pokemon. Even without the spin-offs, the main Super Mario platformer franchise alone has still sold more than the Pokemon franchise. Last generation the two New Super Mario Bros. games sold nearly 30 million each (and Mario Kart Wii sold over 30 million). Pokemon Diamond/Pearl and Black/White sold just under 20 million and 15 million respectively. Undoubtedly Nintendo's (and gaming's) two biggest franchises, but Mario is bigger.

According to Wikipedia New Super Mario Bros. is the best selling DS game, but that's not counting all the TV shows, toys etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Nintendo_DS...

Pokemon has PLENTY of spin-offs.

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Spin-off_Pok%C3%A9mon_...