Nintendo ended up announcing Paper Mario: The Origami King out of nowhere yesterday, following speculation that a new entry in the series would be coming to Switch. One of the things we heard when the initial rumors started is that the Switch title should be a return to the franchise’s roots. It remains to be seen how closely Paper Mario: The Origami King follows the blueprints of the N64 and GameCube games, but there is at least one positive sign.
Nintendo did say in its announcement that “you’ll enlist the help of characters old and new”. While the extent of that remains to be seen, partners may appear in battle. A trailer actually shows a different version of a battle scene not included elsewhere. In the Chinese version, the same Toad that follows Mario in the overworld also appears during combat.
No one can say for sure why China received a slightly different version of the trailer. Thankfully, Paper Mario: The Origami King is just a couple of months out, and we should be learning more soon. Hopefully future updates confirm that partners will indeed play a role in combat.
Playdigious and Amplitude Studios have shared a launch trailer for Dungeon of the Endless, a mix of dungeon defense and roguelike. Watch the video below.
It was only a few years ago that Nintendo delved into the mobile market. We’ve seen a number of titles pop up on iOS and Android based on popular IPs, including Mario, Animal Crossing, and Fire Emblem. There’s also been a completely original game in Dragalia Lost.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said during Nintendo’s financial results conference call last week that it is “continuing to develop new applications” for smartphones. However, he did caution: “we are not necessarily looking to continue releasing many new applications for the mobile market as much as we are looking at the continuation of our mobile business as a way to make active use of Nintendo IP (game characters, worlds, and so on) in the interest of maximizing the entirety of Nintendo’s business.”
Here’s the full exchange regarding Nintendo and mobile:
Nintendo is increasing its advertising expenses for the upcoming fiscal year. President Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about the approach during a financial results conference call, to which he responded by saying the company is looking to target those who don’t usually play games. The move is especially necessary as Switch is now in the middle of its life cycle.
Furukawa also shared an interesting tidbit. Nintendo “will potentially reach a situation in which we need to spend more for advertising now than we did when the hardware was first launched,” he said.
Here’s the full exchange regarding Nintendo’s ad expenses:
Nintendo was finally able to bring Switch to China at the end of 2019 with the help of Tencent. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Mario Odyssey have entered the country so far. According to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, these titles are “seeing steady growth”.
Although it’s taken some time for Switch to appear in China, Nintendo appears to be looking at things from a long-term perspective. “We will devote time to continuing to work with Tencent to demonstrate the unique appeal of Nintendo products to the consumers of China,” Furukawa said.
An investor and Furukawa shared the following exchange during Nintendo’s financial results conference call last week:
Nintendo’s digital sales continue to be on the rise. President Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about the increase last week during a financial results conference call, providing further insight. Furukawa said new Switch owners may have previously turned to digital versions of games, and more recently, the popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a big factor.
As for Nintendo Switch Online, “memberships are increasing steadily with the expanding hardware install base beyond 15 million accounts”. Pokemon Sword and Shield as well as Animal Crossing: New Horizons contributed to the expansion. Furukawa also spoke generally about the service, stating: “By adding elements that make games even more fun to play and by increasing the appeal of the service itself, we hope to continuously grow this into a service that makes Nintendo Switch even more enjoyable and convenient for consumers to play.”
Here’s the full exchange regarding digital sales and Nintendo Switch Online:
Nintendo has stressed the appeal of promoting its evergreen games in light of the coronavirus, and the company simply can’t rely on new titles. President Shuntaro Furukawa, speaking during a financial results conference call, brought up Ring Fit Adventure and how there’s still lots of unfilled demand there due to limited supply.
Furukawa also touched on Animal Crossing: New Horizons. He noted how the game has been shared by others with the likes of family and friends, “and this further expanded through the spontaneous and widespread sharing of information on social media.” Ultimately, “many more consumers are purchasing the title than we had initially expected.” Nintendo will now be looking at “how to recommend a second or third title to them, and how we can leverage our already-released titles in doing so.”
Furukawa’s full words:
Nintendo has again addressed the coronavirus and how it will impact the company moving forward.
According to president Shuntaro Furukawa, “this will have a large impact.” Although its North American and European offices have been effected, Japan has been hit hard in particular due to a lack of remote development environment. On the bright side, Nintendo is “gradually gaining experience in assessing what can and cannot be done remotely, and in determining how much progress we can make on the work we are able to do from home.”
Below are Furukawa’s full words, which also address parts procurement for hardware:
During a conference call held for Nintendo’s financial results, president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about how the entertainment industry may change even after the coronavirus ends, and what strategies the company has in place.
The big takeaway is that Nintendo is “taking a flexible approach”, and is operating “under the premise that the effects will be long-term”. Furukawa gave one example by noting that “there have been cases where the marketing of products did not move forward as we had planned”. Nintendo ultimately can’t be constrained – whether it’s a change in work environment or different initiates.
Here’s the full exchange:
Speaking during a conference call for Nintendo’s financial results, president Shuntaro Furukawa said it’s “possible to aim for growth that is unlike the life cycle of any other hardware to date” with Switch. Hardware sales have remained high, the system is now entering the middle of its life cycle, and consumers have the option of choosing between the original Switch and Switch Lite.
Furukawa made these remarks when asked by an investor about the differences in Nintendo’s outlook before and after the impact of the coronavirus started. We have that full exchange below.
