Despite slow sales, Microsoft insists that Viva Pinata is "an IP that will be a pillar for Microsoft Game Studios for a long time," and even states that the series may make a leap onto the Nintendo DS. 1UP has the scoop:

"A Kameo or a Viva Pinata on a DS makes a lot of sense in a lot of ways from a franchise perspective," Shane Kim told 1UP last week at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas...."For us, it was a successful game, it happened to come at the same time Gears came out, so obviously people put the yardstick out and say 'Hey, which one's bigger?' -- I'm not sure that's how you want to evaluate at this point in the console's life cycle which game is more important."

I'm glad to see that Microsoft considers the franchise alive and well. More importantly, though, is the idea that a Microsoft game might end up on the Nintendo DS. Viva Pinata would be a perfect fit for Nintendo's two-headed beast and it's amazingly mature of Microsoft to admit -- I just hope that this is something they'll follow up on and not just an offhand, out-of-character remark.