Tag - nintendo

 
 

NINTENDO

From January 2028, PlayStation games will release only as digital downloads, calling into question protections about ownership over software and the long-term playability of older titles released on discs.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 2, 2026
Sony to end video game disc production in January 2028
The gaming giant says the move toward digital-only games aligns the company with consumer trends toward online marketplaces.
Japan’s global soft power through anime and video games has grown in recent years in part because it largely remains more attuned to fans than investors.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 17, 2026
Don’t let Wall Street crush Japan’s soft power
Gamers fear that big money, foreign or otherwise, is going to ruin what might be one of the least-touched bastions of nerd entertainment.
A French consumer advocacy group filed a claim alleging "planned obsolescence" in 2020, saying Nintendo knew some controllers were failing too quickly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 9, 2026
Nintendo agrees to €35 million French fine over faulty Switch controllers
France’s consumer protection agency determined that Nintendo Europe had not sufficiently informed consumers of a recurring problem despite the console being sold for years.
Other Japanese role-playing game series may be more popular overseas, but in Japan, Dragon Quest still reigns supreme — even 40 years after the first game in the franchise hit shelves.
LIFE / Digital
May 27, 2026
On Dragon Quest’s 40th anniversary, ‘it’s impossible to ignore its influence’
The famous JRPG franchise that developers around the world say set the standard for the genre turns 40 on May 27.
Despite record Switch 2 sales and blockbuster movie success, Nintendo's shares have plunged as investors worry about rising costs and the company's lack of announced hit games for the crucial holiday season.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 24, 2026
Nintendo gamers love surprises. Investors don’t.
The stock selloff is not entirely irrational: Investors can’t value what they don’t know and Nintendo’s plans for this year are a mystery.
Nintendo shares climbed as much as 6.8% in Tokyo Tuesday to mark a third straight day of gains — their longest winning streak since mid-March.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2026
Nintendo shares rebound as AI fatigue fuels Japan stock rotation
Nintendo shares climbed as much as 6.8% in Tokyo to mark a third straight day of gains — their longest winning streak since mid-March.
A customer visits the gaming section for Nintendo products at a shop in Tokyo last week.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2026
Nintendo shares dive after forecast exposes memory squeeze
Nintendo shares had shed close to 30% this year through Friday, with concerns growing about the slow pace of game launches since the Switch 2’s debut in June.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 was the best-selling console in the U.S. in March, driven by the surprise hit Pokemon Pokopia, as hardware spending jumped 69% year on year to $500 million.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2026
Pokopia flurry helps Nintendo’s Switch 2 top U.S. sales in March
Pokemon Pokopia, an entry in a budding genre of “cozy games” that eschew leaderboards and time pressure, swept to global success with little expectation ahead of its release.
A Sanrio store in Tokyo's Asakusa district. Sanrio is launching a new gaming brand, with some 10 titles to be released over the next three years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 21, 2026
Sanrio launches gaming brand, tapping fast-growing global market
Sanrio’s push into gaming reflects a broader trend among Japanese intellectual property owners to diversify revenue by extending popular franchises into interactive entertainment.
Nintendo plans to make 4 million units of its Switch 2 game console this quarter, falling short of the 6 million it had originally planned to produce.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 25, 2026
Nintendo cuts Switch 2 output by over 30% on weak holiday sales
After a record-setting debut in June, sales of the Switch 2 have failed to meet Nintendo management’s high expectations.
People wait in line to play Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 during the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in June 2017. Bloomberg.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 16, 2026
How Pokemon and Resident Evil rewrote gaming history
1996 was a seminal year for gaming, an era of rapid iteration and change that stands in contrast to the tedious yearslong development schedule of today.
A video posted by the White House featuring a graphic from Nintendo's Wii Sports video game.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2026
Japanese games and manga used in White House’s airstrike videos
The videos have been criticized for making light of deadly attacks.
The rally of Nintendo shares comes as physical copies of Pokemon Pokopia have sold out at several major retailers in the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2026
‘Stealth hit’ Pokemon game sends Nintendo shares soaring
Early success for Pokemon Pokopia, released on March 5 to rave reviews and reports of store sellouts around the world, has relieved investors.
People wait outside the Nintendo Store in New York on June 4 last year, ahead of the release of the Nintendo Switch 2.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2026
Nintendo sues U.S. government over reciprocal tariffs
Trump’s tariff policies affected Nintendo’s business by forcing the company to delay the start of preorder sales in the United States for the Nintendo Switch 2.
It is feared logistics costs for Europe-bound Nintendo's Switch 2 consoles will rise in the wake of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 2, 2026
Nintendo shares slide on fears of rising Mideast shipping costs
Nintendo heavily relies on sea freight to transport its $450 console from assembly hubs in Asia.
Visitors queue to visit statues of Pokemon characters displayed outside the Lotte World Tower in Seoul in April 2024.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 28, 2026
New Pokemon titles mark 30 years for Nintendo’s hit franchise
The company will be releasing two new Pokemon games in 2027 for Nintendo’s Switch 2 console, called Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania's Alucard and the weak yet lovable Slime from Dragon Quest are just some of Japan's iconic gaming franchises celebrating midlife anniversaries in 2026.
LIFE / Digital / Longform
Feb 20, 2026
Japan’s gaming icons are getting midlife makeovers as they hit their 40s
Zelda, Pokemon, Dragon Quest and more mark major anniversaries in 2026 — a milestone year for the industry they built.
A circuit board at Annapurna Labs on Oct. 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Memory chip makers have been the standout winners among tech stocks in recent months.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2026
Memory chip crunch ripples through markets, with worse to come
The massive build‑out of artificial intelligence infrastructure has shifted production capacity away from traditional chips used in most consumer electronics.
Merchandise are pictured for sale at a Nintendo store in central Tokyo on Aug. 1. Shares in Japanese gaming giant Nintendo plunged 11% on Wednesday, as it was hit by investor concern over software sales and the impact of a memory chip shortage.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
Nintendo shares dive 11% on software sales and chip crunch
The selloff came a day after the “Super Mario” maker said net profit jumped more than 50% year-on-year in April-December.
Nintendo's Switch 2 became the world's fastest-selling gaming console after launching to a fan frenzy last summer.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 3, 2026
Switch 2 sales boost Nintendo profits, but chip shortage looms
In April-December, net profit rose 51.3% year-on-year to ¥358.9 billion, Nintendo said, but a global memory chip shortage could drive up manufacturing costs.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival