Nintendo’s 2015 Fiscal Year Earnings & March 2016 Financial Results Briefing Details
Midweek, on April 27, Nintendo released its 2015 Fiscal Year Earnings details, where it summarized the result of its plans until the end of March 2016 and its plans for the upcoming fiscal year ending in March 2017. An update regarding the 3DS and Wii U sales numbers, million seller titles, and a new release schedule for upcoming titles, was also shared. You can find these details rounded up below. I will also be updating our site’s Release Calendar with the new titles and release dates in the coming weeks, as usual.
(1) Fiscal year ended March 31, 2016
During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, for Nintendo 3DS, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer and Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon were released globally and both became hits, selling 3.04 million and 1.22 million units respectively. There were also multiple hit titles from third-party publishers. However, due to the lack of major titles like Pokémon Omega Ruby/Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, which energized the entire 3DS business during the prior fiscal year, the worldwide sales of the Nintendo 3DS hardware and software were 6.79 million and 48.52 million units respectively.With respect to Wii U, Splatoon sold 4.27 million units and Super Mario Maker sold 3.52 million units, both becoming blockbusters and contributing to energizing the Wii U platform. In addition, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, which was released globally in March, got off to a good start. The global sales of the Wii U hardware and software reached 3.26 million and 27.36 million units respectively.
In addition to the above, amiibo sales continued to maintain momentum and showed strong performance globally. The figure-type and the card-type sold approximately 24.70 million units and approximately 28.90 million units respectively. Furthermore, sales of additional download content for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U increased and total download sales reached 43.9 billion yen. Moreover, our first smart device app, Miitomo, was released globally in March and started off well. As a result, net sales were 504.4 billion yen (of which overseas sales were 368.9 billion yen or 73.1% of the total sales), and operating income was 32.8 billion yen. Due to re-evaluation of assets in foreign currencies, exchange losses totaled 18.3 billion yen. As a result, ordinary income was 28.7 billion yen and profit attributable to owners of parent was 16.5 billion yen.
(2) Outlook for fiscal year ending March 31, 2017
For Nintendo 3DS, we will release Pokémon Sun/Pokémon Moon globally in winter of 2016 (holiday 2016 in the U.S. and late 2016 in Europe). These are the latest titles from the Pokémon series, which has sold 200 million units worldwide since the first title from the series released 20 years ago. We will also release a number of titles including Kirby: Planet Robobot and Metroid Prime: Federation Force. Strongly anticipated titles from third-party publishers are also scheduled for release.
With the release of these titles, we will re-energize the platform and aim to expand our reach globally to a broad audience, including female and younger consumer demographics.
For our dedicated video game platform business, Nintendo is currently developing a gaming platform codenamed “NX” with a brand-new concept. NX will be launched in March 2017 globally.
As for amiibo, we will continue to expand the product lineup in order to maintain momentum. At the same time, we will aim to further expand sales by offering new gaming experiences with the use of amiibo.
For our content download business, we will continue to offer appealing additional download content that enhance the characteristics of each game. We believe this will keep games actively played and maintain their popularity. Also, for our smart device business, following Miitomo, we will continuously release new apps in order to expand the revenue base as a business.
Based on these efforts, we project, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, net sales of 500.0 billion yen, an operating income of 45.0 billion yen, an ordinary income of 45.0 billion yen and profit attributable to owners of parent of 35.0 billion yen. Unit sales of the major products used for the forecast are listed on page 15 under the heading of “(5) Consolidated sales units, number of new titles, and sales units forecast” in the “Others” section. Exchange rate assumptions for the major
currencies used for the forecasts are 110 yen per U.S. dollar and 125 yen per euro.
Extra details:
– Fell 60.6% to 16.5 million yen, or $148 million, on revenue of $4.53 billion (down 8%)
– Nintendo’s stock price has fallen slightly in trading, down 0.9% to $18.72 a share
– Nintendo saw diminished assets, cash flow, and profits during the year
Lifetime sales for current and past gen systems:
Wii U: 12.80 million hardware units, 84.04 million software units
3DS: 58.85 million hardware units, 274.18 million software units
Wii: 101.63 million hardware units, 914.28 million software units
DS: 154.02 million hardware units, 948.23 million software units
Top 10 Wii U and 3DS Million Seller Titles:
Wii U
Mario Kart 8 – 7.50 million
New Super Mario Bros. U – 5.19 million
Nintendo Land – 5.07 million
Super Mario 3D World – 4.82 million
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – 4.80 million
Splatoon – 4.27 million
Super Mario Maker – 3.52 million
New Super Luigi U – 2.49 million
Mario Party 10 – 1.76 million
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – 1.72 million
3DS
Pokemon X/Y – 14.70 million
Mario Kart 7 – 13.26 million
Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – 11.84 million
Super Mario 3D Land – 10.73 million
New Super Mario Bros. 2 – 10.25 million
Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 10.00 million
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS – 8.12 million
Tomodachi Life – 4.98 million
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon- 4.82 million
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – 4.04 million
Launch Schedule of Primary Nintendo Products:
Upcoming Third Party Software Lineup:
In the next day, April 28, Nintendo held its Financial Results Briefing for the 76th Fiscal Term Ended March 2016. Below you can find an official overview of the event, followed by some extra details I rounded up from president Kimishima’s presentation, and the subsequent Q&A session.
Official Overview of the Financial Results Briefing Presentation:
27th APRIL, 2016 – Nintendo announced a variety of updates during the earnings announcement for its full fiscal year, ended March 31. These updates included the first information about Nintendo’s next video game system, code-named NX.
“As we report the results of the last fiscal year, we also look forward to an exciting period ahead with further growth in our mobile business, new products for our dedicated video game systems and continued progress in our efforts to increase the number of consumers experiencing our IP through games, licensing and expanded entertainment,” said Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima.
For a complete overview of Nintendo’s financial announcements, as well as changes to Nintendo’s governance system, please visit Nintendo’s Investor Relations website at https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en. Announcement highlights include:
· Miitomo: Nintendo’s first app for smartphones and tablets has already crossed 10 million unique users worldwide. The free-to-start social experience app launched in Japan on 17th March and in a variety of other countries, including the UK, on 31st March. Along with these outstanding user numbers, Nintendo also has, to date, sparked more than 300 million conversations in Miitomo. In addition, users can insert their Mii characters into photos to create unique “Miifotos” that can be shared through various social media. As of now, more than 20 million Miifotos have been created. To celebrate Miitomo reaching 10 million users, Nintendo will run a special 10-day “Celebrating 10 Million Users!” promotion between 29th April and 8th May.
· Nintendo’s Next Mobile Apps: Building on the positive consumer reaction to Miitomo, Nintendo announced that its next two mobile apps would be based on the familiar and beloved Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing franchises. Nintendo plans to release both of these applications this autumn. As for the former app, while making it more accessible in comparison to the Fire Emblem games for Nintendo’s dedicated gaming systems, Nintendo aims to offer the great value of a role-playing strategy game. Nintendo will design the latter game so that it will be connected with the world of Animal Crossing for dedicated gaming systems. By playing both Animal Crossing games, users will find increased enjoyment. Both of these are pure game applications. Compared to Miitomo, they have more prominent game elements, and the game content will tie closely into Nintendo’s dedicated games business. Nintendo will provide more details about these applications closer to their launch period, and aims to have multiple types of apps that appeal to different audiences and different groups of players.
· NX: Nintendo previously announced that it would release more information about its next system, code-named NX, this year. As the first announcement of any NX information, Nintendo confirmed that NX is scheduled to launch in March 2017. NX will not make an appearance at the upcoming E3 video game trade show in Los Angeles in June and will be unveiled later this year.
· The Legend of Zelda: The latest instalment in this classic series is scheduled to launch simultaneously for both Wii U and NX, and both versions of the game have been in development in tandem. Because developers need more time to polish the game, it will launch in 2017, but it will be the focus of Nintendo’s presence at E3.
· E3: Nintendo changes its approach to the show every year. This June, Nintendo will focus its attentions on the upcoming game in The Legend of Zelda series. The Wii U version of the game will be playable for the first time on the E3 show floor, and it will be the only playable game Nintendo presents at the show, in order to provide attendees a complete immersion. Additional information about Nintendo’s E3 plans will be announced in the future.
Nintendo later updated its press site with an entry for The Lengend of Zelda on Wii U, which initially showed a March 2017 release date like the NX, but now simply shows 2017 instead, like mentioned above. The page also contains a new piece of artwork for Link, which you can find below:
Roundup of details from Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima’s presentation:
– Sell-through for Nintendo 3DS systems has surpassed 56 million. Install base is now sufficient to provide profits for the software business. Number of young consumers and female users has increased in all regions.
– 3DS software sales have been positive in all regions.
– The recent release of titles like Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 and Yo-kai Sangokushi have increased play activity, leading to a rise in sales in Japan.
– 3DS titles occupied 7 out of 10 spots in the top 10 software sales rankings for the fiscal year, solidifying the handheld’s prominent position in the Japanese video game market.
– Fire Emblem Fates and Nintendo Selects helped build momentum for 3DS software sales in the U.S.
– Fire Emblem Fates has surpassed the Japanese sale rates in the U.S. since its 6th week in the market.
– The game has sold more than Awakening, and both have performed better over time in the U.S. when compared to Japan.
– Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon and Nintendo Selects helped maintain the 3DS software sales in Europe, but these are still lower than the 2014 trend for the period. Fire Emblem Fates is expected to help once released.
– Tomodachi Life has done increasingly better in the region, and has now surpassed the amount of Japanese sales.
– Nintendo Selects titles have performed well, having sold over 700,000 units, and helped expand the audience.
– The use of the Nintendo Selects strategy has greatly increased the sell-through rate in all regions, and helped increase the number of female and young consumers, so similar strategies will continue to be part of the 2016 efforts to promote the handheld, but won’t be overused.
– Several evergreen 3DS titles saw sales of around one million units this year.
– The Wii U has surpassed 12 million units sold worldwide, partially thanks to Splatoon.
– Splatoon has continued to sell well in Japan, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and Pokkén Tournament have helped spur software sales in this period.
– The same holds true for the U.S.
– Sales have also taken off in Europe thanks to the same titles, but to a slightly lower degree.
– Splatoon has proved to be the main driving factor behind Wii U hardware sales during the fiscal year in question, shipping 4.27 million units worldwide, and managing to reach female and young consumers in addition to the hardcore crowd.
– The number of Splatfest participants has increased over time, with the latest Japanese event seeing around 790,000 participants, a record number. This means that more than half of the software owners in Japan participated in this event, which is an impressive feat.
– Nintendo will continue to expand the IP beyond the game with other products and events, and by working with partners.
– Over the fiscal year, about 24.7 million amiibo figures and about 28.9 million amiibo cards have been shipped, increasing benefits for all Nintendo platforms.
– The Splatoon series amiibo have continued to sell well in Japan, with sales approaching one million units.
– Some amiibo characters are becoming evergreen, showing stable long-term sales with little seasonal fluctuation.
– The fourth quarter had the highest download sales of any quarter over the latest fiscal year, while the total for the entire fiscal year was 43.9 billion yen. This was due to the release of DLC for Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U, in February, and for Fire Emblem Fates, released in the U.S. in March.
– Download sales for the latest fiscal year have expanded in all regions compared to the prior year, with the biggest increase in Americas.
– Excluding downloadable versions of packaged software, DLC for Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/WiiU, Mario Kart 8 and Fire Emblem Fates, together with the Virtual Console releases of the original Pokémon games, have all remained popular download options in the eShop.
– The Virtual Console versions of Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Pikachu, have been downloaded more than 1.5 million times worldwide, with more than half of these downloads coming from the American market. Sales are showing a favorable trend in the Americas, and download codes sold through retail stores have seen a high proportion of sales in Japan. Nintendo thinks they have successfully appealed to the consumers’ sense of nostalgia.
– Nintendo will attempt to revitalize the 3DS in the new fiscal year by launching major titles, and trying to reach broader demographics worldwide, including females and young consumers. The install base in Japan is saturated, with reduced opportunity to sell 3DS hardware to new consumers, so efforts will focus on sparking discussion and maintaining momentum among current owners of the handheld.
– The company aims to use the current momentum and excitement around Pokémon to drive the launch of Pokémon Sun & Moon when they release on Winter 2016, by making it one of the top priority titles for the fiscal year and maximizing sales worldwide.
– There is a large selection of upcoming 3DS software scheduled for release both in Japan and North America and Europe from April 2016 forward, including several currently in developement and unnanounced first and third party titles.
– The NX is planned for a March 2017 release, but system features, price and launch software lineup will be discussed at a later time this year.
– The NX won’t be shown at E3, and the focus will instead fall upon the latest entry in The Legend of Zelda series.
– There are plans to greatly reduce the amount of Wii U systems produced and shipped for the upcoming fiscal year. Taking into consideration demand for the new NX hardware and overall demand forecasts, they plan to ship 800,000 units.
– Kimishima reiterated Nintendo’s smart device business strategy.
– Miitomo is currently available in 16 countries and 8 languages, and has surpassed 10 million users worldwide.
– The number of conversations exchanged within Miitomo has exceeded 300 million, and users have created more than 20 million Miifotos.
– There are plans to expand Miitomo in the near future, with regular updates and extending the service to additional countries. South America and Asia are being considered. Due to this, Miitomo is expected to play an even bigger role on the global stage as the forerunner of Nintendo’s new business activities.
– Miitomo will be followed by two new applications based on the Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing IPs, releasing on Fall 2016, with more prominent game elements, so consumers will be able to play as they like, and the game content will connect to their business.
– Kimishima states that Fire Emblem has become a major IP for Nintendo, both in name and in substance.
– They expect that many consumers will experience Fire Emblem for the first time on their smart device, so the application will offer a more accessible style of gameplay compared to previous titles. However, the aim still is to provide a fully engaging experience as a role-playing simulation game.
– Kimishima speaks of Animal Crossing as one of the most beloved, best-selling and evergreen titles at Nintendo’s disposal, due to its popularity with female and young consumers in particular.
– The app will feature the Animal Crossing characters and world, but Nintendo wants to offer a connection between the smart device application and the world of Animal Crossing on dedicated video game systems, making it even more fun to play in both ways, while offering a new style of play for smart devices. The aim of the app is to provide consumers with strong value suitable to smart devices while also generating synergy with the dedicated video game system business.
– The first priority with Miitomo was to bring more consumers around the world in contact with Nintendo entertainment.
– Over 75% of the current users live outside of Japan, and the percentage is expected to rise in the future as the service expands to South America and Asia.
– The plan to release around five titles by March 2017 has not changed.
– Since the launch of Miitomo, the number of My Nintendo users has been increasing steadily, so they expect the launch of new applications using the Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing IPs will expand the membership rate even more.
– Kimishima finished by stating the Board of Directors resolved to transition to a system with an audit and supervisory committee, and to introduce an executive officer system, with the intent of strengthening the auditing and oversight over the Board of Directors and enhance their corporate governance. The purpose of introducing an executive officer system is to separate business decision-making and oversight from business execution, and to delegate authority for executing business. This clarifies the responsibility for business execution and enables them to create a flexible management system that can respond quickly and effectively to sudden changes in the business environment.
For some extra details explained by Kishima in answer to specific questions, please refer to the Q&A session.
Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle
Nintendo has returned with another Humble Bundle collaboration, but this time it’s available in both North America and PAL regions (Europe and Australia). The Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle will be available until May 10th, with extra titles being added on May 3.
Here’s an overview of the deal:
26th April 2016 – Humble Bundle, Nintendo of America, Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo of Australia have teamed up to offer a new selection of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games at a pay-what-you-want price with the Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle. A portion of funds raised from bundle sales will support the SOS Children’s Villages International and Code.org charities.
The Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle is made up of a choice selection of digital titles from Nintendo’s passionate developer and publisher community, including Capcom, SEGA, Nordic, Atlus, GalaxyTrail, WayForward, KnapNok Games and Vblank Entertainment. Further publishers will be announced mid-promotion as new titles are added.
As with previous bundles, the Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle is available in three purchase tiers. Customers can pay $1 USD or more for digital versions of Retro City Rampage: DX for Nintendo 3DS, Affordable Space Adventures for Wii U, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and a coupon for 10% off Humble Monthly for New Subscribers.
Those who pay more than the average price for the bundle, displayed on the Humble website at time of purchase, will also receive digital versions of Freedom Planet for Wii U, Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure for Nintendo 3DS, Citizens of Earth for Nintendo 3DS or Wii U (platform chosen by customer), and an exclusive Retro City Rampage: DX Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu Theme that won’t be offered anywhere else.
Anyone who pays $13 USD or more will receive all of the above plus digital versions of Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition for Nintendo 3DS and Darksiders II for Wii U.
Additional digital titles will be unveiled mid-promotion at 20:00 CEST on May 3, 2016 for all customers who pay above the average price at time of purchase. Fans should keep their eyes on Humble Bundle on Twitter and Facebook for the reveal of these titles.
As with all Humble Bundles, customers can choose how the proceeds of their purchase are allocated between between the participating developers and charity.
The Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle will end on Tuesday, 10th May, at 20:00 CEST.
Full details of the promotion can be found at https://www.humblebundle.com.
Fortunately, in less than 24 hours, the promotion has garnered about 61,000 sales and raised around $600,000. With the Humble Nindie Bundle from last year, it achieved 37,000 sales in 24 hours.
Kirby: Planet Robobot
With the recent release of Kirby: Planet Robobot in Japan, and as we near the international release, tons of new gameplay footage has been posted online during the week. You can find some videos below, including some from the PAX East 2016 demo. You can also check out a translation of the review by Famitsu over here.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was playable at PAX East 2016 and since we got quite a bit of video footage of the Western version thanks to that we now have a better sense of some other things that have been changed in the localized version.
It appears that the age of some characters was changed, since Itsuki, Tsubasa and Touma are now 18 years old instead of 17. Tsubasa actually announces her age in a scene in the game, with the line “織部つばさ、17歳です!” (“I’m Oribe Tsubasa and I’m 17 years old!”, which would’ve produced a small problem for those playing the Western version who can understand Japanese, since they would’ve heard Tsubasa say she’s 17 years old despite the translated text stating that she’s 18. However, Nintendo and Atlus went out of their way to get Inori Minase, Tsubasa’s voice actress, to re-record that line, a practice that is not common at all during the localization process.
Moreover, one of the scenes that can play when you start a battle shows that a change has been made to one of Tsubasa’s outfits. It’s hard to tell since the lower image is not from direct feed footage, but it seems like Tsubasa’s panties are no longer visible in the Western version and have either been shaded over or been replaced by shorts or spats.
Finally, a change has been made to one of the game’s dungeons that dealt with a gravure idol and paparazzi theme. In the Western version, photos of the girl displayed in the dungeon show that she wears less revealing clothing, suggesting that she might even just be a regular model in the localized version. It’s unknown so far if this will have any sort of repercussion in the form of changes to the game’s story.
You can take a look at some of the new gameplay footage below:
Fire Emblem Fates
Nintendo has released some new information about Fire Emblem Fates ahead of its European launch on May 20.
Fire Emblem Fates Map Pack 1 will be available for purchase on release day, and can be accessed via the Dragon’s Gate once Chapter 6 has been completed. The eleven DLC maps “will be released periodically from launch through to July, providing a series of extra challenges, opportunities to gain more experience and money, and even recruit a new character”.
Map Pack 2 will follow in late July, featuring another six DLC maps. An additional free piece of content will also be made available during the distribution of each Map Pack.
Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, the third story path, is due out on June 9.
Furthermore, My Nintendo members will be able to exchange 20 Gold Points for a 10% discount on the digital version of Fire Emblem Fates that can be applied between May 20 and June 16. Those who pick up the game on the eShop in the first four weeks after launch will also receive a free download code for the Two Kingdoms theme.
Meanwhile, North America is getting a second wave of Fire Emblem Fates downloadable content starting next week, with the arrival of Map Pack 2 on May 5.
Nintendo has provided an overview of the upcoming DLC:
Unlike the contents of Map Pack 1, the stages included in Map Pack 2 tell an ongoing story. Across dimensions, other versions of the Hoshidan and Nohrian children are under attack. Born and raised in the Deeprealms, these fledgling warriors must now rise up to save themselves and their parents as they unravel the mystery of their adversaries. In this six-map series, units leveled up in the main game cannot lend support. Players must devise a strategy using a fresh team to reap the rewards, but only if all units survive.
Here’s the release schedule:
May 5 – June 9 – Map Pack 2 ($7.99)
May 5 – I: In Endless Dreams ($0.49)
May 12 – II: Realms Collide ($1.99)
May 19 – III: The Changing Tide ($1.99)
May 26 – IV: Light’s Sacrifice ($1.99)
June 2 – V: Endless Dawn ($1.99)
June 9 – End: Lost in the Waves ($1.99)
Note that players who have purchased Map I: In Endless Dreams can still pick up the full Map Pack 2 to receive a discount when compared to buying the subsequent maps individually. Map Pack 2 content is priced at more than $10 when all maps are purchased individually.
As a bonus, those who already own Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright or Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest can also download Another Gift from Anna for free on May 5.
Here’s some screenshots from Map Pack 2:
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Game Informer has uploaded some gameplay footage from Metroid Prime: Federation Force’s PAX East 2016 build. Check it out below:
Pocket Card Jockey
Nintendo has announced that Game Freak’s Pocket Card Jockey will be available on the eShop in both Europe and North America on May 5. A demo is currently available on the eShop for both regions too. You can also find a new trailer recently uploaded by Nintendo UK below:
Pokémon X & Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Darkrai is the next Mythical Pokemon distribution for Pokémon X & Y and Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. It’ll be available at select stores during the month of May as a serial code, until May 24.
Here’s an overview:
Darkrai is the Pitch-Black Pokémon, which originally debuted in Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl in 2007. Darkrai is said to chase people and Pokémon from its territory by causing them to experience deep, nightmarish slumbers. This Darkrai is distributed with the following attributes:
· LEVEL: 100
· TYPE: Dark
· ABILITY: Bad Dreams
· MOVES: Dark Void, Ominous Wind, Nightmare, Feint Attack
And here’s where you can get one in your region (redeemable until August 31):
United States – Gamestop – May 1st through May 24th
Canada – EBGames – May 1st through May 24th
United Kingdom – GAME – May 1st through May 24th
Australia & New Zealand – EBGames – May 1st through May 24th
Spain – GAME – May 1st through May 24th
Germany – Gamestop – May 2nd through May 24th
France – Micromania – May 2nd through May 15th
Italy – Micromania – May 1st through May 24th
Belgium – FNAC or GameMania – May 1st through May 24th
Austria – Gamestop – May 2nd through May 24th
Netherlands – GameMania – May 1st through May 24th
Finland, Sweden, Norway & Denmark – BR Stores – May 12th through July 31st
Switzerland – Gamestop – May 2nd through May 24th
Portugal – FNAC Stores – May 1st through May 24th
Poland – In magazine CDAction
Besides Darkrai, you can also obtain a Zygarde through the Nintendo Network, in both Europe and North America. The distribution will end on May 26 for Europe, and May 8 for North America.
In North America, a Shiny Xerneas and Yveltal will be distributed via the Nintendo Network too, but there’s still no word about Europe. The Shiny Xerneas will be available from May 11 to May 17, while the Shiny Yveltal will be distributed from May 20 to May 26.
Pokémon Rumble World
Nintendo has released a new trailer for Pokémon Rumble World to promote its recent release on retail stores. Check it out below:
Pokémon Comaster
The Pokémon Company has released a new Japanese trailer for Pokémon Comaster, a figure battling game for mobile phones. You can watch it below:
Star Fox Zero
Star Fox Zero came out in Japan last week, and during its first few days on the market (April 21 – April 24), the game sold 17,114 units with the Star Fox Guard pack, and another 8,135 copies were sold from the standalone release.
According to Media Create, Star Fox Zero sold through just 30% of the initial shipment. Between the debut low sales and sell-through rate, it would be fair to say that Star Fox Zero is off to a rather slow start in Japan.
Meanwhile, Nintendo of America has released another commercial to promote the game, using the nuppets. Check it out below:
https://youtu.be/jmOh1oVtaow
You can also find an interview with the Star Fox 64 voice actors by Geek Melee over here.
Super Mario Maker
During the week, Super Mario Maker has received a new Event Course and Mystery Mushroom costume, in the form of the “Metal Resistance” Event Course and the Babymetal costume, based on the Japanese metal idol band Babymetal.
You can find an overview of the course, followed by some gameplay footage of the same and the costume below:
Say hello to Babymetal, the metal dance unit taking the world by storm! To celebrate the worldwide release of their latest album “Metal Resistance,” which has been making a splash on charts all over the globe, they’re joining us right here in Super Mario Maker! They even recorded unique voice clips just for us!
https://youtu.be/3DBov8KD20A
Polygon has also shared a new video in its “Devs Make Mario” series. In this episode, Kill.Switch creator Chris Esaki makes a level in the game, which is then playtested by Elite Beat Agents creator and Jumo co-founder Keiichi Yano. You can find it below:
Mini Mario & Friends amiibo Challenge
Mini Mario & Friends amiibo Challenge is now out on the North American and European eShops. You can find two new trailers for the game below:
Splatoon
The Splatoon Squid Sisters recently performed at another live concert during the ongoing Japanese gaming event NicoNico Choukaigi. You can watch the performance below, which even includes a few new songs.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has revealed a new set of amiibo is planned for Splatoon. On July 8, players will be able to pick up figures based on the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie, as well as new colors for the Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy, and Inkling Squid amiibos.
Note that the Squid Sisters won’t be sold individually in North America, but instead will be distributed in a double pack. Likewise, the Orange Squid amiibo is only available via a 3-pack.
Here’s a trailer for the new amiibo:
Virtual Console Trailers
Below you can find trailers for some Virtual Console games that recently released on the Wii U eShop.
Sin and Punishment (Japan, N64)
Mario Party DS (Japan, DS)
Xenoblade Chronicles (North America, Wii)
Miitomo
Nintendo has launched a new Miitomo promotion in celebration of reaching 10 million users. Over the next few days (from April 29 forward), separate rewards will be handed out.
Here’s the full lineup:
Day 1: 1,000 Miitomo coins
Day 2: 3 game tickets
Day 3: 1,000 Miitomo coins
Day 4: 3 game tickets
Day 5: 1,000 Miitomo coins
Day 6: 3 game tickets
Day 7: 500 Miitomo coins
Day 8: 3 game tickets
Day 9: 500 Miitomo coins
Day 10: 1,000 Miitomo coins
Users can collect a total of 5,000 Miitomo coins and 12 game tickets over the couple of weeks.
A new video highlighting the app’s Miifoto feature was also released during the week, which you can find below:
https://youtu.be/5PkRF2e_VQg
Finally, GameXplain has released a video showcasing the new Splatoon content in Miitomo. You can give it a look below:
Nintendo Minute
This week’s episode of Nintendo Minute, features Kit and Krysta back with the ‘Kno Yo Nintendo’ fan trivia at PAX East 2016. You can watch it below:
Rumour: Monster Games working on an unnanounced title
It seems like Excite series developer Monster Games has been working on a new project since at least February of last year, which includes both a “Career” and a “Championship” modes. That’s according to the LinkedIn profile of Joshua Ruis, a software engineer at the studio. This is creating speculation that a new racing game or sports title could be in development for a Nintendo platform.
This is because Monster Games has only made Nintendo titles since 2006, including Excite Truck, Excitebots: Trick Racing, Excitebike: World Rally, and Pilotwings Resort, along with the Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and Xenoblade Chronicles 3D ports.
Here’s the profile date in question:
Rumour: Retro Studios next game out next year, not Metroid or Donkey Kong
Emily Rogers has returned with new speculation about Retro Studios’ new project. The new title seems to be for the NX, but Rogers wrote on Twitter that the title in question isn’t Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, or Diddy Kong Racing 2, like we had previously heard from other sources. She adds that the project is planned for 2017.
Here are Rogers’ tweets:
Rumor part 2: Not Diddy Kong Racing 2 either. It sounds more like a new IP.
— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) 29 de abril de 2016