Investor meeting: Nintendo talks about Nintendo 3DS sales
During the usual meeting with investors, which always follows the presentation of the latest financial results, Nintendo talked about the sales of Nintendo 3DS. First, a graph was shown: it compares the sales of the Nintendo 3DS in 2014 and 2015 in Japan, and unsurprisingly, they are slightly down this year (which doesn’t have Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Yo-kai Watch 2 to boost it sales).
The second graph compares software sales in 2015 and 2014, and it’s quite apparent that the sales momentum is nowhere near last year’s (which had several multi-million sellers in just a few months). However, the situation this year is “promising” according to Nintendo, in reference to the strong sales of Yo-kai Watch Busters and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, but also the upcoming games from Nintendo and third-party publishers.
Next, Nintendo focused on Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, which has sold over 1 million units in Japan alone. It came out in July, along with the very first series of Animal Crossing ammibo cards: over 1 million packs have been sold so far in Japan! According to the company, those really managed to convey the fun of using amiibo in games.
But that’s not all: Nintendo revealed that ~70% of Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer players are actually women, which is a pretty positive result for the company. After all, it made the increase of the number of female players one of its objective, in order to revitalise the Nintendo 3DS business in Japan. We don’t have any stats for the west, but Nintendo mentions the game is off to a great start there too.
To attract even more women in the upcoming year-end sales season, Nintendo will release several New Nintendo 3DS packs with Hello Kitty, Animal Crossing and Super Mario Maker cover plates. For the company, this is crucial in order to give momentum to the Nintendo 3DS in Japan.
The next graph compares Nintendo 3DS sales in Europe and North America, in 2015 and 2014. The lauch of the New Nintendo 3DS in February had a pretty positive impact on sales, which are “growing at a higher pace” than last year. It will be interesting to see if the handheld will still keep on selling better than last year even during the last quarter.
As for Software sales, they are slightly below their level in 2014 this year, in Europe and North America. However, the gap between the two is only going to get wider due to the release of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (in October) and Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire (in November). In order to invigorate sales, Nintendo will release games such as Yo-kai Watch this year, in North America and Australia.
Then, Nintendo focused on the sales of two titles in particular (launched last year): Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire. The first thing we notice is that they both sold better in Europe and North America than in Japan. It’s also clear they are “evergreen” titles, who sell well on long periods.
It’s part of Nintendo’s strategy to make the Nintendo 3DS attractive: “keeping the rich lineup of evergreen titles already released highly active”. When you buy a new console, it’s always better to have plenty of great titles to chose from right from the start. Players are much more likely to buy one when they see the investment is worth it, so focusing on ever-green title is definitely a good strategy.
During the holiday period, Nintendo will have a special campaign in North America, in order to promote those very ever-green titles. Unfortunately, we don’t have any details at the moment, but it’s pretty much guaranteed to be a “Buy two or three games from that selection of titles, and get one for free/with a discount” type of promotion.
In Europe, it doesn’t look like Nintendo will have such a campaign, but the company mentions that sales are quite good for Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Tomodachi Life. The release of the very first Nintendo Selects titles for the Nintendo 3DS is also bound to further increase the sales towards younger consumter (with parents more likely to buy games for their kids when they are significantly cheaper).
Finally, Nintendo showed a slide with several games released in October 25th in all regions, or announced and awaiting release. Obviously, there are more unannounced titles coming, and those should be revealed in the near future (this is something Nintendo says at every meeting with investors).
Nintendo mentions that third-party publishers in Japan are still quite active when it comes to Nintendo 3DS development. As usual, the company will continue to assist any company willing to localise its titles for overseas market.
Source: Nintendo
