Nintendo is one of the most self-sufficient video game publishers in the world and their current console, the Nintendo Switch, is still on its upswing. It’s their fastest-selling console to date and reached over 100 million sales quicker than any console before it. Even when discussing the life cycle and future of the console, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stated, “Switch is just in the middle of its life cycle and the momentum going into this year is good. The Switch is ready to break a pattern of our past consoles that saw momentum weakening in their sixth year on the market and grow further.”
That said, many big players and fans of the video game industry have been curious about what Nintendo will do to follow the latest buyouts. With Microsoft buying Activision | Blizzard and Sony buying Bungie, who is Nintendo going to go after? It turns out, the answer is nobody.
Even after the news broke of these two major buyouts, not to mention some of the smaller ones that have been happening around them, Nintendo’s Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki stated, “I really have a hard time imagining which of the big ones they could even be interested in buying. Nintendo will always stay Nintendo. The company has always relied on first-party games, and I don’t see any reason why they should change.”
President Furukawa backed this statement up when he confirmed that he has no changes to the investment plan he announced in November 2021; the company plans to spend up to 100 billion yen to strengthen its game development arsenal, with a focus on promoting organic growth. He did clarify that they aren’t against any acquisitions if they become necessary. To further his point, he stated, “Our brand was built upon products crafted with dedication by our employees, and having a large number of people who don’t possess Nintendo DNA in our group would not be a plus to the company.”
It seems that Nintendo is truly only interested in furthering the great first-party brands that make up the titles that Switch fans truly love. We are sure to see a phenomenal year this year with upcoming titles like Kirby and The Forgotten Lands and Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, with more to come in the future years as well! How do you feel about Nintendo’s plan to stand firm and back their own teams even further?
