At a Glance:
- Before the drop, Nintendo accounted for 25% year-to-date growth.
- Despite the Zelda delay, Nintendo has a strong game pipeline for 2022.
- Nintendo is relying on first-party titles for driving sales.
Recently, Nintendo suffered a 6% drop in shares in Tokyo trading. The firm had delayed the release of the eagerly awaited sequel to “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”. Now the game is scheduled for a 2023 release.
Before the fall, Nintendo shares have been climbing 25% year-to-date. This growth shook off the concern that the Switch console may have peaked at a hardware refresh in October, and the launch of the critically acclaimed “Pokemon” title is scheduled for January.
Eiji Aonuma, the Zelda series producer stated in a video, “In order to make this game’s experience something special, the entire development team is continuing to work diligently so please wait a little longer.”
Nintendo has delayed other games too
Previously, the popular game “Breath of the Wild” was also delayed which became the Switch launch game in 2017. The game sold more than 25 million units. In 2020, launched a hack-and-slash spin-off “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity”.
Nintendo is planning to launch the untitled Zelda sequel in an industry which has recently witnessed a launch of adventure game, “Elden Ring” from Kadokawa & Bandai Namco, and “Horizon Forbidden West” from Sony.
Zelda delay will not affect the game pipeline
Nintendo has a strong game pipeline set for 2022. It will be releasing the game “Splatoon 3” in the summer and also two Pokemon titles will launch later this year.
The founder of Kantan Games consultancy, Serkan Toto shared, “If there’s a year can afford to push Zelda out of, it’s this year. The fiscal year hasn’t even started yet and they have spread out all of these potential blockbuster titles.”
