Are you surprised at how well mini-game collection “Carnival Games” has sold? So were the folks at publisher 2K Games.

“It definitely exceeded our expectations,” 2K Play marketing director Christina Recchio said when I asked her about the success of the carnival-themed Wii game. “2K Play did not forecast a million units since it was an original property and a fairly new system.”

During a demo for the franchise’s new installment “Carnival Games: Mini-Golf” yesterday, she told me that, despite negative reviews, the original title has sold over 1.5 million units since it was released a year ago — and it’s still selling.

Recchio added that I didn’t get my requested press copy of the July-released DS version yet because it’s also “over-performing.” “It’s nice to know that the retailers are asking for more and more products, so we’re very excited about this franchise,” she said.

As for why exactly the “Carnival Games” franchise has done so well…

…Recchio thinks that it was the timing, the $39.99 price point, and the easy, Wiimote gameplay. She also attributes the game’s sales to the ever-growing demand for the Wii. “[Nintendo is] expecting to sell another eight million by the time this Christmas is over, and so the install base will be about 15 million,” Recchio explained. “We’re looking at that as another eight million people who have not purchased the original title yet, and so we expect it to continue to sell as well.”

The continued sales of “Carnival Games” is why the company decided to release “Mini-Golf” instead of “Carnival Games 2.” “We knew that the install base was growing, and people are still buying [Carnival Games], so we wanted to build on the success of it but with a different type of gameplay,” she said. “We think the market can hold both of these Carnival Games. We were originally going to put ‘Carnival Games 2′ out, but it was just too early for us.”

I wondered if “Carnival Games 2″ was already in development before “Mini-Golf” came along. “It wasn’t in development, but it was definitely in concepting,” she said. “We saw the original title was a big success, and we had the developers [Cat Daddy] thinking down the line for the brand. So there will be a ‘Carnival Games 2,’ but when that is, I can’t say that right now. We just have to assess the market and see when the right time is to release the title.”

And is it possible that “Carnival Games 2″ will use the Wii MotionPlus controller? “Everything’s possible, but we’re not that far into it,” she said.

“Carnival Games: Mini-Golf” on the Wii will be available in October for $39.99.

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