Verified answer

First off, Nintendo characters never really die. Link, All the Mario characters, Donkey Kong, etc. They are non-aging cartoony characters that Nintendo will continue to bring back in future games. They will continue making these games until people stop buying them, which probably will never happen. Like 20 years from now they will bring back Mario Kart, Zelda, Mario 64, all the old titles, when they come out with another new system. Then they will come out with brand new games again and again. The demand for these games haven't really ever gone down over time, so why would they stop?

Mario is classic, the face of Nintendo's franchise, and is something Nintendo can always rely on to do good in the market. Plenty of companies will do this. Look at Megaman, Sonic, Street Fighter...People still love Mario. Other franchises? Zelda. Skyward Sword was one of the top two or three games of 2011, and easily the best-selling game for the Wii. Why would Nintendo fix what isn't broken?

Mario is a classic. It reverses to be used in all gernations

Mario is Mario, he can't die.