Very few series have been as successful,admired,and recognizable as the Mario franchise. Many people tend to think this series should end and that Nintendo should retire Mario completely but i disagree for a few reasons. The first reason is Mario built Nintendo without that franchise Nintendo wouldn't see the sales they did and no other franchise would be created as a result. Second is that Mario largely defined the platformer genre it was something that was often imitated but never duplicated and to this day it still remains the most successful of the genre. Third is audience you have a much wider audience with the characters in the Mario universe than with the FPS and shooter genre that is popular today the theme of the Mario games are more innocent fun rather than violence and murder that create controversy and limit who can play. Fourth is depth the Mario universe has a multitude of characters some with their own unique games that expand upon the series and make it a deep franchise that you can get into. Finally there is familiarity along with innovation people know what to expect with a Mario title but there is always room for innovation as Nintendo has shown games like the Mario sports and puzzle games along with the RPG's are a great example of this and all prove that Mario can stand the test of time with it's core audience and more.