Kimishima on Switch launch lineup criticism, explains Nintendo’s thinking
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 33 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
Here are the announced first-party titles that will follow the system launch, releasing through 2017 in Japan. Some of those who have seen this lineup have expressed the opinion that the launch lineup is weak.
Our thinking in arranging the 2017 software lineup is that it is important to continue to provide new titles regularly without long gaps. This encourages consumers to continue actively playing the system, maintains buzz, and spurs continued sales momentum for Nintendo Switch.
For that reason, we will be releasing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, which is making its debut on the Nintendo Switch during the first half of 2017, and Splatoon 2, which attracted consumers’ attention most during the hands-on events in Japan, in summer 2017. We believe that these titles exemplify the concept of the Nintendo Switch, which is to be
able to play anywhere with anyone and at any time, and will expand and invigorate competition between players.
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Kimishima recaps recent Switch announcement, strong pre-orders
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 2 Comments
Since our presentation on January 13, we have run Nintendo Switch demo events in regions across the world. These photos show some of those events. You can get a sense of the enthusiastic atmosphere and the enjoyment that the attendees felt.
Nintendo Switch will launch with the two sets pictured here on March 3, 2017 in Japan, the U.S., Canada, major European countries, Australia, Hong Kong and other regions. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price in Japan is 29,980 yen. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price in the U.S. is $299.99. As we have stated before, unlike Wii U, the Nintendo Switch price point was set to ensure that the hardware is not basically sold at a loss.
Kimishima talks Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing mobile delay
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 7 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
I will now talk about the third smart-device application, following Miitomo and Super Mario Run, that Nintendo will release, Fire Emblem Heroes. Distribution for both the iOS and Android versions of Fire Emblem Heroes will begin tomorrow, February 2, in 39 countries worldwide.
The Fire Emblem series is a franchise that is supported enthusiastically by fans in their 20s and 30s in particular. The series has become especially popular overseas since the titles on the Nintendo 3DS.
Nintendo on Mario Run’s performance and future plans, Miitomo getting new update
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 0 comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
First, I would like to once again state Nintendo’s three main goals for our smart-device business. We would like to utilize smart devices as a platform to reach the maximum number of consumers with our IP. It is a prerequisite that the smart-device business be profitable on its own. We also aim to generate synergy with our dedicated video game systems business to maximize the potential of Nintendo’s overall business strategies. I have also shared in the past that we strive to ensure that each title we release for smart devices provides a high-quality game experience that is optimized for smart devices.
Following these principles, we released a new type of Mario game that you can play with one hand, Super Mario Run. It launched on iPhone and iPad in December. This release was not limited to the countries and regions in which we have offered products and services through our dedicated video game system business, and it reached a wide range of consumers worldwide. As we shared through a previous press release, in its first four days Super Mario Run was downloaded more than 40 million times, a record speed for the App Store. Since then, downloads have maintained a strong pace, and as of today the application has reached 78 million downloads.
More: Miitomo, Super Mario Run
Nintendo on Wii U, amiibo, digital download, NES Classic Edition sales
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, General Nintendo, News, Wii U eShop | 4 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
This slide compares sell-through for Wii U hardware and first-party packaged software in Japan, the U.S. and Europe from April 2016 through the last week of the calendar year, compared with the same period over the past two years. We significantly decreased the shipping volume for Wii U this fiscal year compared to the fiscal year ended March 2016 and set our sales expectations at 800,000 units. As a result, hardware sell-through is down significantly compared to the previous two years. Also, there were fewer new titles this year, resulting in reduced trends in software sell-through compared to previous periods, but both the hardware and software results are largely in alignment with our expectations.
This figure shows the sell-in for amiibo figures compared to the previous period. In the previous period, we sold many amiibo, particularly in the Super Smash Brothers series, reaching total sell-in of approximately 20.5 million units. Sell-in for this period was approximately 6.5 million units.
Nintendo on 3DS’ future, unannounced games in development
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 44 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
As for the future of the Nintendo 3DS business, Nintendo 3DS family hardware has continued to spread through our markets, reaching sales of 62 million units worldwide. Our efforts will focus on the opportunities to take advantage of this install base.
We will continue to introduce new titles that players can enjoy for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. We have heard speculation that Nintendo Switch will replace the Nintendo 3DS, as both are game systems that can be played outside the home, but Nintendo 3DS has unique characteristics that differ from those of Nintendo Switch. Furthermore, the
price points and play experiences offered by the two systems are different and we do not see them as being in direct competition. We plan to continue both businesses separately and in parallel.
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Nintendo on appealing to children and women with 3DS, some software sales disappointing
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News | 13 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
Over this period, we appealed to a range of demographics, such as female consumers and children. With the spread of the 2DS due to its affordable price point, we were able to achieve definite sales drive in these demographics.
As I mentioned before, our efforts to appeal to children and female consumers have paid off this year. The expansion of Nintendo 3DS hardware into wider demographics, including children and female consumers, has provided renewed momentum for hardware sales in the Nintendo 3DS business.
Nintendo on 3DS hardware, Mario Maker 3DS, Yo-kai Watch sales
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 3 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
This graph shows Nintendo 3DS hardware and software sell-through in Japan from April 2016 through the final week of the calendar year, divided by quarters and compared year-on-year. In looking back on the life-to-date performance of Nintendo 3DS, hardware spread through the Japanese market first before the U.S. and European markets. For the first two quarters, both hardware and software maintained lower trends than the previous year, but for the third quarter, which also includes the holiday period, the release of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon drove software sales higher than the previous year, and hardware sales did not lose momentum.
Note: Nintendo 3DS hardware includes the New 3DS, Nintendo 3DS, the New Nintendo 3DS XL, the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo 3DS XL and the Nintendo 2DS systems.
Note: Due to the calendar differences, FY16Q3 contains one more week than FY17Q3. Note: FY = Fiscal year (April through March of the following year)
More: sales, Super Mario Maker for 3DS, top, Yo-kai Watch
Nintendo on Pokemon Sun/Moon’s big sales
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 4 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
First, I will discuss the status of Nintendo 3DS. I will cover the sales for the third quarter, including the holiday season, as well as future business projections.
We released two completely new entries in the Pokémon series, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, worldwide in November last year, and achieved explosive sales. According to our recent analysis, the global sell-through (volume sold from retailers to consumers) has exceeded 13 million units and continues to grow.
This slide compares the sell-through from release to the end of that year for past titles in the Pokémon series. You can clearly see that Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are off to an excellent start, even compared to past titles. Pokémon games tend to be long-selling titles in the U.S. and European markets. We can see that these titles still have excellent sales potential. We hope to maintain this momentum going forward to ensure that Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon also achieve long-selling status.
More: Pokemon Moon, Pokemon Sun, sales, top
Over 100 Switch games in development from more than 70 partners
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 43 Comments
Earlier this month, Nintendo said that over 80 games were in development for Switch. It now seems the number has increased over the past couple of weeks. During its financial results meeting with investors today, it was stated that over 100 titles are in the works from more than 70 firms.
