I know 100% for a fact, FOR A FACT, Nintendo has discussed internally the possibility of reviving older games using indies. I know there's been more than one such meeting too.

The issue is they don't seem to want to meet with indie devs who have only tasted moderate success.

I told a person there "nobody buys a Nintendo IP game based on who the developer is. Success shouldn't be the metric you guys use when vetting studios. It should be talent, followed by talent, and then talent.

You guys have great vetting. Use it to find high-character talent."

Thankfully you will see more indie outreach in the future and getting access to major IPs (even if they're not Nintendo's) will come down to talent. I know Square-Enix, Ubisoft, and Activision have people evaluating indie devs for potential projects, and "success" isn't criteria.