Charles Martinet, the original voice of Mario, will step back from recording voices for Mario games and move into the new role of “Mario Ambassador,” Nintendo announced.
03.08.2023 - 08:55 / videogameschronicle.com / Mario Bros
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom drove a record quarter for Nintendo Switch, with the company confirming it sold 18.51 million units of the game as of June 30, 2023.
During the three-month period, global sell-through of first-party software reached the highest level for a first quarter since the Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, the company claimed.
The company also enjoyed a record first-quarter profit of 185.4bn yen ($1.294bn), which is up 82%, and surpasses the 2020 period when it released Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the start of covid-19 lockdowns boosted sales.
Driven by Zelda, Nintendo shipped 3.91m Switch units during the three-month period (short of the 5.68 managed in Q1 FY21), which is up 13.9% year-on-year and brings the life-to-date total to 129.53m. The vast majority of these (86%) were OLED models, including the special edition Tears of the Kingdom console, which launched in April.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released on May 12 and sold 10 million copies worldwide in its first three days, according to Nintendo. That made it the fastest-selling game in the history of the series and the fastest-selling Nintendo game for any system in Europe and the Americas.
Nintendo said in its latest results that sell-through of this one title constituted approximately half of the first-party software sold this fiscal year.
*As of June 30, 2023 (compared to Mar 2023)
“Consumers who played the previous entry, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, have been the primary driver, but as the weeks have passed, we have seen that a growing percentage of purchases are being made by consumers who have not yet played that title,” it said.
Nintendo forecasts it will sell 15 million consoles during the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, which represents a further 16.5% decline, as Switch enters a significant slowdown during its seventh year on the market.
According to VGC sources, the company has dispatched Switch 2 development kits to key partners, with a launch planned for the second half of 2024. Officially, the company is yet to comment on plans for its next console.
Nintendo also made room in its results for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which it said tripled its mobile and IP-related revenue to 31.8bn yen ($222m).
The movie, which began its theatrical release in various markets around the world on April 5, has now been viewed by 168.10 million people, it said.
As of July 26, global box-office revenues totalled $1.349, which is the highest ever for an original film based on a video game, and the second-highest for an animated film.
Thanks in part to the Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo said it enjoyed a boost in sales of Mario titles including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which sold 1.67m
Charles Martinet, the original voice of Mario, will step back from recording voices for Mario games and move into the new role of “Mario Ambassador,” Nintendo announced.
Publisher and developer IzanagiGames, and developer MyDearest will release “cinematic exploration adventure” game DYSCHRONIA: Chronos Alternate Definitive Edition for Switch on November 22 for 7,678 yen in Japan, the companies announced. It will support English and Japanese voice-over options, and English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean text options.
Publisher dramatic create and developer HaccaWorks* have announced otome visual novel Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri for Switch and PC (Steam). It will launch in 2024 worldwide with English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language options.
Save up to 90% on hundreds of games, plus take advantage of bonus special offers for even more savings.
Super Mario Bros. is inarguably one of the most important games ever created, yet after 38 years it's never really gotten the definitive edition it's deserved. One fangame is aiming to change that.
The Making of Karateka will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG on August 29 for $19.99, followed by Switch in September, developer Digital Eclipse announced.
Monster taming RPG Creature Keeper will be available on Switch for console, publisher Graffiti Games and developer Fervir Games announced.
At least he clapped at the end.
Rockstar's cowboy epic is up for preorder on PS4 and Switch.
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox
Barbie has now made $1 billion at the box office – and there's no sequel on the horizon. Neither writer-director Greta Gerwig nor her co-writer (and real-life partner) Noah Baumbach has a contract for Barbie 2, but that doesn't mean the studio hasn't tried to convince Gerwig.
The final content update for Sifu will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 7, followed by Switch at a later date, developer Sloclap announced.