Nintendo has revealed some interesting tidbits about Mario/Wii Party, and how the future of the Mario Party series could be in danger.
According to NeoGAF, the original team behind the long-running Mario Party series was a joint venture between both Nintendo and Hudson known as Monegi. More recently lead staff who worked on Mario Party have departed the team and are now under NdCube.
NdCube originally started as a subsidiary Nintendo developer, and since then has been bought and expanded near Nintendo's Japan offices, considered more like an R&D division.
With Wii Party taking centre stage, and possibly becoming more popular than the original Mario Party concept, it's likely Nintendo may put the series on hold whilst shifting focus on the Wii/Mii ideal.
The series could continue with a more in-house approach, perhaps new talent and fresh ideas injected into the concept. Would you be interested in a 9th Mario Party game?