Nintendo expects to sell nine million consoles in the next 12 months. You might think that's impossible, but there's a reason for the confidence.
A press release by Nintendo states the following:
During the next several months, Nintendo expects to launch new titles in the Mario Kart (Wii U), Super Mario Bros. (Wii U), Wii Fit (Wii U), Pikmin (Wii U), The Legend of Zelda (Wii U and Nintendo 3DS), Mario & Luigi (Nintendo 3DS) and Pokémon (Nintendo 3DS) franchises.
The Legend of Zelda (Wii U) presumably refers to the Wind Waker HD remake which was confirmed to be coming this year during its announcement. However, there are two games that stand out from the pack: Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros. Mario Kart for Wii U previously had no expected release date, and Nintendo has told fans to wait—agonizingly—until E3 for more details. As far as Super Mario Bros. goes, chances are it's referring to a 3D Mario since New Super Mario Bros. U is already on the console.
Neither game has been shown by Nintendo, but each are exactly what the Wii U needs to sell consoles. Couple that with the other games mentioned in the statement, as well as a Super Smash Bros. to follow soon after, and you can see why Nintendo has bold predictions.
