The executives at Nintendo must be rubbing their hands with glee as reports are saying that New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Wii home gaming console has passed the 10 million copies sold hallmark since it was released in late 2009.

The multiplayer-enabled title, which otherwise offers very classic gameplay, has managed to surpass the sales total of Super Mario Galaxy on the United States market, with 4.5 million copies sold since November 15 to the 4.1 million managed by the galactic adventures, which came out in 2008.

New Super Mario Bros. has also sold 3 million copies on the European market, where it came out on November 20, 2009, and 3 million units in Japan, where it arrived on December 3. Given the usual longevity of Mario-powered videogames, especially those that put him front and center, the game will probably continue to sell well throughout the first half of 2010, up until the moment Super Mario Galaxy 2 comes out.

The success of New Super Mario Bros. Wii when compared to Galaxy might indicate that the Nintendo audience is more interested in 2D Mario experiences, based on classic platforming and with limited new features, like the multiplayer possibilities, than in 3D updates including less of a focus on jumping around and a lot more plot.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 was revealed as being in development at the E3 trade conference in 2009 and is set to arrive at an unspecified date this year. Shigeru Miyamoto said that more than 90% of the content of the game would be new and that a wider variety of galaxies would be offered for exploration, with most planets bigger than in the original title. A drill and the ability to ride Yoshi around were also promised for the sequel, along with the possibility of a Super Guide feature.