When it comes to Nintendo, they have been around for ages especially for the video game industry. Families are typically fine with buying a Nintendo product because it’s mainly catered towards family-friendly content. Over the years Nintendo has been mainly just a video game company focusing on hardware along with software and a few merch items. However, things have recently started to change and it could allow their IPs to flourish in new fantastic ways. That of course remains to be seen, but Nintendo’s current president does have some plans on making expansions.
One of the first big moves that came out was Nintendo moving onto smartphones. There were a few video games released that allowed players to enjoy some of their IPs on their mobile devices rather than having to buy Nintendo-specific hardware. Then came the big Super Nintendo World theme parks with only one currently available for consumers to visit, although more are inbound to open up throughout the world. That’s not all, there is a big new push into animation both in terms of movies and television shows.
While Nintendo has dabbled with animation in the past, it’s been several years now and we know that there is a Mario animated film being produced over at Illumination. Recently, Nintendo’s President Shuntaro Furukawa has spoken with Fast Company and made note that they are interested in more animation, but it’s going to be on their terms. Nintendo is real protective of their IP so having someone that knows the source material and keeps things to the standards of Nintendo is crucial. When it comes to this upcoming Mario film, legendary Nintendo creator Shigeru Miyamoto is involved in the production.
Nintendo doesn’t see their employees being pulled away too much when it comes to these side projects. Instead, they wish to keep those involved to a minimum when possible as they continue to work mainly on video game projects. Despite that, it does seem that there are other franchises from Nintendo that could see some kind of a movie or television series get picked up which may even help revive some of the past IPs.
Source: Fast Company, VGC
