Nintendo’s new games aim to build on Switch success

Bloomberg

Nintendo Co. announced a slate of new titles for its new hybrid console Switch, moving to capitalize on early excitement for its newest video-game system.
A Pokemon role-playing game for the Switch is in development, Kyoto-based Nintendo said Tuesday on a webcast at the start of the industry’s annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. The company and Ubisoft Entertainment SA will introduce a new Super Mario game only for Switch on Aug. 29. Other titles include Switch versions of popular games such as Metroid and Rocket League. Many of the new products will be multiplayer.
“This changes the game,” Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of North America, said in a video at the start of the presentation. “Travel the world, play anywhere with anyone.”
Nintendo, a pioneer in the video-game industry, had struggled in recent years as new devices disappointed and demand shifted toward edgier, shooter games that didn’t fit the company’s family-friendly image. A turnaround began after the Pokemon Go mobile game created a global sensation last year and the company released its latest device, the Switch, in March.
The Switch’s unique design, which unifies home and mobile gaming, has made it an early hit with gamers, becoming Nintendo’s fastest-selling console in North America. The positive reaction since the machine’s debut on March 3 has sent Nintendo shares up more than 40 percent, climbing to the highest level since January 2009. The US-listed shares rose 1.6 percent to $39.25 at the close in New York.
Nintendo had said it expects to sell 12.74 million Switch units by the end of March, almost the same amount its predecessor, the Wii U, has sold during its lifetime. That strong early demand has made investors more confident in comparing the Switch to 2006’s Wii, which sold 101 million units to become the company’s most successful home console.