by Felix Richter, Statista.com
Having been released in Japan earlier this month, Nintendo’s first smartphone game „MiiTomo” is coming to Europe and the United States today.
For years, Nintendo had dismissed the obvious idea of bringing its beloved video game characters to mobile devices, but finally gave in last year when the company announced a new partnership with the Japanese mobile gaming company DeNA.
Looking at Nintendo’s software sales for the past few years, the reason for the company’s change of mind becomes obvious. Between 2010 and 2015, Nintendo’s global sales of software titles for its home and handheld consoles plummeted by 81 and 57 percent, respectively. Opening up to smartphones seems like an easy and obvious way to stop that decline, especially considering the company’s impressive line-up of video game characters. There are probably millions of Nintendo fans around the world who cannot wait to welcome Mario, Luigi & Co. on their mobile devices.
This chart shows Nintendo’s video game software sales since 2000.
You will find more statistics at Statista.
