Nintendo partners with DeNA to strengthen digital games, services

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo has announced a joint venture with mobile company DeNA to establish a new firm called Nintendo Systems Co., Ltd, which is set to launch in April 2023.

According to The Verge, DeNA co-developed several Nintendo titles for iOS and Android, including Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Mario Kart Tour.

Nintendo said that the partnership will “strengthen the digitalisation” of its business which has already been incredibly successful for the company.

The gaming giant first partnered with DeNA in 2015.

Since 2019, Nintendo hasn’t released a new mobile game with DeNA. The most recent was “Pikmin Bloom”, which was launched on Android and iOS in partnership with Pokemon Go developers Niantic.

As noted by Sensor Tower, the company reached $5.3 million in revenue in the six months following its release.

However, Nintendo’s earnings report showed that its mobile and IP-related sales dropped by 7.5 per cent year over year, according to the report.

As the company works “to deliver as many consoles as possible to consumers in every region of the world”, Nintendo will probably have a strong holiday season even with a slowdown in hardware and mobile gaming sales.

It also released Bayonetta 3 last month, while Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet will be available on November 18, said the report.