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Nintendo Enters Mobile Gaming Market with DeNA Partnership

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Nintendo, the iconic gaming company behind characters like Super Mario, has finally entered the mobile gaming market with a partnership with Japanese mobile gaming company DeNA. The collaboration aims to bring Nintendo's intellectual property to smart devices, including mobile phones and tablets, as well as its dedicated gaming consoles. The partnership will also enable users to play games across multiple devices, including PCs and Nintendo's consoles. The move is seen as a response to increasing competition from Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox consoles.

Key Takeaways:

  • Nintendo will collaborate with DeNA to bring its intellectual property, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Bowser, to mobile devices.
  • The partnership will enable users to play games across multiple devices, including PCs and Nintendo's consoles.
  • Nintendo will invest $181 million (22 billion yen) into DeNA, while DeNA will also invest the same amount into Nintendo.
  • The move aims to complement Nintendo's dedicated video game systems business and extend its reach into the smart device market.
  • Nintendo's new console, codenamed NX, will be released in the future, but no specific details were disclosed.
  • The company sold 395,000 units of all versions of the 3DS in the latest sales data, making it the top-selling console of the month.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D was the top-selling game in February, while Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ranked tenth.
  • Mobile games are increasingly taking a larger percentage of mind share, but console games still generate more revenue.
  • The partnership with DeNA may help bridge the divide between mobile games and consoles, where Nintendo still gets its bread and butter.

Statistics:

  • Nintendo will invest $181 million (22 billion yen) into DeNA.
  • DeNA will also invest $181 million (22 billion yen) into Nintendo.
  • In February's sales data, Nintendo sold 395,000 units of all versions of the 3DS.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D was the top-selling game in February.
  • Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ranked tenth in February sales.
  • Since its launch, Sony has sold more than 20 million PlayStation 4 consoles worldwide.
  • Microsoft sold 6.6 million Xbox consoles in its fiscal second-quarter, but did not break down sales figures between Xbox One and Xbox 360.
  • Apple said it topped 75 billion app downloads in June 2014.
  • Google surpassed 50 billion app downloads in 2013.

Sources:

  • Nintendo and DeNA form business and capital alliance: dena.com/intl/press/2015/03/nintendo-and-dena-form-business-and-capital-alliance.html
  • Nintendo announces new console, codenamed NX: TheStreet.com
  • February sales data from research firm NPD: NPD Group
  • Microsoft's fiscal second-quarter sales data: Microsoft Corporation
  • Apple's app download statistics: Apple Inc.
  • Google's app download statistics: Google Inc.

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