Nintendo goes big at E3 video game expo

Global Business

E3 wouldn’t be the same without Nintendo. This firm’s been up and down more than Mario over the decades. It’s on the up now though.

CGTN’s Phil Lavelle reports.

Despite critically panned efforts like the Gamecube and the Wii U, its latest device, the year-old Switch, seems to have turned its fortunes around.

“The Switch has been selling gangbusters – it’s already sold way more than the Wii U sold in its lifetime,” video games journalist, Jason Fanelli said. “It’s a great year for Nintendo.”

And now Nintendo’s cranking it up even more with big announcements.

One of them – it’s taking Fortnite – the phenomenon that’s sweeping the world. Said to be making more than $200 million a month for its owners.It’s now available in China and on Nintendo’s flagship device too.

Mike Rougeau is senior editor at Gamespot and he said it’s massive news.

“I think it’s just going to make it easier to play Fornite. I think a lot of people playing Fortnite are playing on their phones. It’s a lot of students. Ask any teacher and Fortnite is an epidemic in classrooms,” Rougeau said. “Playing Fortnite on a Switch rather than on a phone, just with those proper controls is right off the bat a better experience, so I think it’s going to make Fortnite better for a lot of people.”

Nintendo is a company with portable gaming running through its DNA. It’s been making grab-and-go devices since the early days. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the iconic GameBoy.

That commitment to that sector explains why Nintendo has put so much into the Switch. It’s hoping the Switch will also help it move into the E-Sports market in a big way,

The announcement of “Super Smash Bros Ultimate” was hardly a surprise and Nintendo made the most of the attention, Rougeau said “They talked about this game for so long during this presentation, it really does feel like they’re thinking about the hardcore base.”

Fanelli reckons this could be Nintendo’s perfect ‘in’ to that competitive area. “You’ve got Mario, you’ve got Legend of Zelda, etc., so bring in all of those people who like those franchises and then you have all of those who are good at Super Smash Brothers, bring them together, you could have tournaments that would sell out arenas around the world if they wanted to.”

For Nintendo’s loyal following, another exciting year lies ahead. This staple of the games industry aiming to get one up on the competition.