At an investors meeting today in Japan, Nintendo’s new president Tatsumi Kimishima confirmed that there will be a new Nintendo Direct before the end of the year. After Satoru Iwata passed away last July, there was some question as to whether the video series would continue. Luckily, continue they shall.
Nintendo Directs give fans a chance to see the faces behind the company, and to feel like they are part of a global family. They have been one of the most popular initiatives coined by Iwata, and they are part of what made him such a recognizable figure in gaming. While Iwata did not appear in every Nintendo Direct, his absence will certainly be felt.
Nintendo also revealed today that they would be unveiling their first mobile game tomorrow. I know, it’s an announcement for an announcement, but I’m still pretty excited to learn more. Unfortunately, that press conference will not be live streamed. The Wall Street Journal reported that Nintendo will release its first mobile title by the end of the year, and will have five mobile games total by March 2017.
Kimishima said that he might touch on the NX, Nintendo’s next console, tomorrow (!!!!), but that no important details would be revealed.
In financial news (this was an investors meeting, after all), Nintendo had an operating profit for the first half of its fiscal year—something the company hasn’t been able to do in five years. Unfortunately, even with the profit, WSJ reports that they fell below “analyst forecasts.” It’s been a hard few years for Nintendo. According to Osamu Kamada, an analyst at Tokai Tokyo Securities, “There are tough times ahead for Nintendo, because rivals are already moving on to next-generation technology, such as virtual reality.”
We’ll have to wait and see what kind of impact mobile gaming has on the company, both financially and culturally.
