Inti Creates just wrapped up another live stream, and debuted the first English gameplay from Blaster Master Zero. We have the recording below.
The new Azure Striker Gunvolt anime OVA isn’t just coming to Japan next week. Inti Creates followed up on today’s earlier announcement, confirming that it’s due out worldwide on the eShop on February 9. The video will cost $2.99 / £2.49 / €2.79 / AU$3.65.
Here’s the latest trailer in HD and with English / Japanese voices (you’ll be able to switch between the two):
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
Finally, I would like to cover our sales company that is planned to start operations in Japan on April 3. In August 2016, we announced that we would acquire one of the largest distributors in Japan handling Nintendo products, JESNET Co. Ltd., as a subsidiary, and that we would accept an assignment of business from AJIOKA Co., Ltd. The purpose of the newly-established company is to provide an integrated system from the development through supply of our products, allowing for rapid decision making and an improvement in sales service. It will operate under the name Nintendo Sale Co., Ltd. The company overview is presented here
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
Splatoon 2 in particular will offer voice chat, a much-requested feature from our overseas fans, using smart-devices and the ability to bring eight Nintendo Switch systems together for eight-person local multiplayer. In this way, we are working to create titles and environments to invigorate the competitive gaming scene so that a wider demographic of customers can enjoy, talk about, and continue playing the Nintendo Switch.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
