After missing estimates for quarterly profit and full-year earnings predicted to be short of expectations, Nintendo shares fell as much as 4.7 percent, the biggest intraday drop since April 26. Nintendo reported disappointing operating income for the quarter ending in December: 168.7 billion yen ($1.5 billion) versus the 175.4 billion yen average projection. Wall Street has also projected slowed growth for major video game publishers that are holding back on new releases until new consoles have debuted. Continue reading Nintendo Shares Fall, Game Publishers Stall on New Titles

Nintendo has begun selling Nintendo Labo, $70 and $80 cardboard add-ons that, with software, let users transform the hybrid Switch tablet/console into a miniature piano, motorcycle handlebars, robot exo-skeleton and other objects. The goal is to appeal to new users outside its core base of hardcore gamers. Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said that only 10 percent of Switch users last year were younger than 16, likely due to its $300 price point, which is more than double Nintendo’s 3DS handheld system. Continue reading Nintendo Debuts Labo Cardboard Add-Ons for Young Gamers

Nintendo will unveil its first-ever game for smartphones, a radical departure from its long-term exclusive focus on its console. In the years of avoiding the move to smartphones, the Kyoto, Japan-based company missed the spectacular rise of mobile gaming, which this year, says research firm Newzoo, is on track to outpace console games in global sales for the first time. But Nintendo is finally opening up, not just with mobile games but also theme parks and a new console game. The first mobile game could debut in a few days. Continue reading Nintendo Abandons Its Console-Only Strategy, Enters Mobile