Nintendo Ventures beyond video games

Ever since the late 1980s, Nintendo (OTC:NTDOY) has been a dominant force within the video game industry. It continually puts out popular hardware devices like the Nintendo Switch and has built a deep library of entertainment franchises like Mario and Zelda. Historically, the company has not made many moves outside of video games.

Theme parks
Nintendo has partnered with Comcast’s (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Universal to build four different Nintendo-based theme parks around the world. Dubbed Super Nintendo World, the parks will be located in Japan, California, Florida, and Singapore, all as subsets of existing Universal theme park locations. The park in Japan has just opened, while the other three are planned to open sometime within the next five years.

That all may be changing with the company’s new initiatives coming in the next few years. Here are four ways Nintendo is moving beyond video games, and what it could mean for the stock.

Stores and merchandise
Nintendo has always sold some merchandise and partnered with other retailers to get its brands out into the world, but the company is now leaning into selling physical goods itself. This includes its online store, but also in a growing number of physical stores around the world.

Augmented reality
In March of this year, Nintendo announced it is partnering with Niantic (a company it owns a major stake in) to build AR applications based on Nintendo’s various franchises. Niantic is the company behind the hit Pokemon GO game, so it has some of the best AR technology in the world. The first game is based on the lesser-known Pikmin franchise and will be launching later this year.

Movies and TV
To move into video entertainment, Nintendo has partnered with Illumination Studios (another Comcast subsidiary), one of the top animation studios in the world. The two companies are working on a Super Mario movie that will launch in 2022, which could be a springboard for more movies or TV shows to follow.

News Summary:

• Nintendo Ventures beyond video games
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