TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo’s president says the Kyoto-based video game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises is counting on business outside the game sector for future growth as sales for its Switch console machines fall short of forecasts.
Shuntaro Furukawa told reporters Friday that sales in the current quarter are still going strong though they will likely be 3 million machines less than earlier estimated, at 17 million units.
Nintendo Co. is diversifying its business. It plans to have its own theme park facility at Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan, finished in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. A similar facility is planned for the U.S.
Nintendo also expects to open an event space in Tokyo’s Shibuya this year.
