Nintendo Looking Past Video Games As It Expands

Danica Davidson November 9, 2022

Nintendo is best known as a video game company, but President Shuntaro Furukawa indicated in a recent online presentation that the company is very interested in expanding. And they hope their expansions will bring more people to their video games.

The upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie, plus Nintendo theme parks (like the one in Japan and the upcoming one in Hollywood) are some of the ventures they’ve tapped into as their expansion. There’s also a ton of merchandise, ranging from Legos to stuffed animals that look like Nintendo characters.

In addition to this, Nintendo is eyeballing pop-up stores, unique events, and mobile applications.

“We want all those who have supported us over so many years to lead to more players,” said Furukawa.

At this point Nintendo has gotten 800 million mobile downloads and has people playing their games in over 160 countries and regional areas. Many people who grew up with Nintendo video games are playing them with their children, and sometimes even their grandchildren.

COVID has both helped and hurt Nintendo. On the one hand, social distancing led to many people staying indoors and playing video games, which has been a boon for the company. However, Nintendo has also dealt with a lack of computer chips.

Shortly before Furukawa’s online presentation, Nintendo Co. speculated it will earn 400 billion yen (about $2.7 billion) during the April-March fiscal year. This shows their numbers are making them feel optimistic, because earlier they had predicted earning 340 billion yen (about $2.3 billion) during that same time period.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be coming out in April, first in America and then in Japan. It’s directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, and stars the voice talents of Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Sebastian Maniscalco.

Source: Associated Press

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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.