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TOKYO – The runaway success of the island life simulator from Nintendo Co Ltd Animal Crossing: New Horizons has overshadowed an uncomfortable fact for fans of the Switch console: it lacks upcoming titles.
Nintendo said Thursday that Animal Crossing, which has become an escapist success for players locked in by the coronavirus, is one of 27 Switch titles that changes over a million copies, after games populated with characters like the plumber. Italian Mario and the sword fighter Link.
But the Japanese company’s current game list is marked by the absence of highly successful names, with Nintendo on Thursday signaling updates and expansions to titles already on the market like Super Smash Bros.
Rival Sony Corp has already been forced to announce delays on major titles like The Last Of Us Part II as the coronavirus affects production. Nintendo, traditionally keeping its lips shut on releases, has refrained from describing upcoming titles since the start of the outbreak.
“The board is completely empty,” said Serkan Toto, founder of gaming industry consultancy Kantan Games. “The COVID-19 situation only increases Nintendo’s conservative stance when it comes to announcing games.”
Nintendo said Thursday that it sees software sales drop to 140 million units in the current financial year, even as Animal Crossing shows runaway success, selling more than 13 million units in its first six weeks.
The company’s shares fell 3.5% in early operations in Tokyo on Friday, compared to a 1% increase in the benchmark index.
The growing catalog of the Switch device includes titles, such as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with a dedicated fan base and a longer lifespan than games on other systems.
Because users will continue to buy the Switch to play older games, Nintendo is less pressured to announce games before they’re ready, said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Securities.
Fans are still awaiting details on highly anticipated titles, such as the sequel to Breath of the Wild, which was again rated “To-Be-Announced” in Thursday’s introductions.
Many consumers can’t find the Switch hardware either, as Nintendo’s lean supply chain was further stretched by the coronavirus outbreak. Chief Executive Shuntaro Furukawa said he sees the disruption going down for the summer.
About 85% of fourth-quarter software sales were titles developed by Nintendo. The sales boost serves as a reply to critics who point to the threat from participants like Google and Apple.
Conversely, players who want to suck up ghosts in Luigi’s Mansion or engage in a Turkish war on Splatoon must purchase a Nintendo system.
(Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by David Dolan and David Evans)
