1
Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
April 26, 2019
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Director and President
Shuntaro Furukawa
Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Financial Results Briefing
Thank you for making time to attend. I am Shuntaro
Furukawa, President of Nintendo. Mr. Takahashi, Senior
Executive Officer, has just presented our financial
results for the period. Now, I will cover the current
business situation, as well as the business outlook for
the new fiscal year.
Current State of the
Nintendo Switch Business
I’ll start with the current state of the Nintendo Switch
business. Nintendo Switch has continued to gain
momentum after January subsequent to the holiday
season. Business is going well, and we expect continued
growth. Let me discuss these points in order.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
+35%
Nintendo Switch Console Sell-Through (JP/NA/EU)
(million
units)
FY Ended March
2019
FY Ended March
2018
April
through
June
July
through
September
October
through
December
January
through
March
Source: Nintendo , Media Create
As mentioned at the February corporate management
policy briefing, sales of the Nintendo Switch system
were strong during the holiday season, and sell-through
has continued to be solid through the start of this year.
This slide shows combined sell-through for the
Japanese, North American, and European markets. As
you can see, sell-through from January to March was
35% higher than the same period of the previous year.
Note:
Sell-through
refers to units sold by retailers to
consumers.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Nintendo Switch Console Sell-Through (JP/NA/EU)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
FY Ended March 2018
FY Ended March 2019
+23%
Apr May Jun Jul
Aug
Sep Oct
Nov
Dec
(million
units)
Jan Feb Mar
Source: Nintendo , Media Create
This graph shows cumulative sell-through trends
throughout the full fiscal year combined for Japan, North
America, and Europe. The fiscal year ended March 2018
showed explosive sales for a first year of hardware
sales. The fiscal year ended March 2019 kept up that
same pace until the beginning of autumn, before rising
even more sharply in November. As a result, we saw a
full-year increase of 23% over the previous fiscal year.
And since the start of the third year of Nintendo Switch
this March, the momentum of the business is still
increasing.
Nintendo Switch Console Sales Pace (JP)
Nintendo 3DS
Wii U
Nintendo DS
Wii
Nintendo Switch
(million
units)
Two year after
launch
One year after
launch
Source: Nintendo , Media Create
This graph shows changes in cumulative sell-through in
the Japanese market following the launch of Nintendo
Switch. The total hardware sell-through for Nintendo
platforms from Nintendo DS onward is superimposed on
the graph for comparison. Note that the quantity and
timing of holiday seasons that see large sales increases
will differ according to the different launch dates. Within
Japan, Nintendo Switch is not reaching the pace of
expansion set by Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, but
has outpaced Wii.
Note: Japanese Launch Dates - Nintendo DS: December
2, 2004/Wii: December 2, 2006/Nintendo 3DS: February
26, 2011/Wii U: December 8, 2012/Nintendo Switch:
March 3, 2017
0
5
10
15
20
Nintendo Switch Console Sales Pace (NA)
(million
units)
Nintendo 3DS
Wii U
Nintendo DS
Wii
Nintendo Switch
Source: Nintendo
One year after
launch
Two year after
launch
Let’s turn now to the North American market. The red
line representing Nintendo Switch jumps significantly
twice, once at each holiday season. During the second
holiday season for Nintendo Switch, it approached the
momentum shown by Wii.
Note: North American Launch Dates - Nintendo DS:
November 21, 2004/Wii: November 19, 2006/Nintendo
3DS: March 27, 2011/Wii U: November 18,
2012/Nintendo Switch: March 3, 2017
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Nintendo Switch Console Sales Pace (EU)
(million
units)
Nintendo 3DS
Wii U
Nintendo DS
Wii
Nintendo Switch
Source: Nintendo
One year after
launch
Two year after
launch
These are the figures for the European market. Since its
second holiday season, Nintendo Switch has surpassed
the pace set by Nintendo 3DS.
Note: European Launch Dates - Nintendo DS: March 11,
2005/Wii: December 8, 2006/Nintendo 3DS: March 25,
2011/Wii U: November 30, 2012/Nintendo Switch:
March 3, 2017
0
10
20
30
40
Nintendo Switch Console Sales Pace (JP/NA/EU Totals)
Source: Nintendo , Media Create
Includes Canada
Nintendo 3DS
(million
units)
Wii U
Nintendo DS
Wii
Nintendo Switch
One year after
launch
Two year after
launch
And the total numbers combined for the three regions I
just explained look like this. Although there are
variances from region to region, Nintendo Switch is
spreading at a pace comparable to that of our previous
hardware.
26%
16%
13%
11%
8%
6%
5%
Source: Nintendo
Title(s) Played On First Day Of Console Usage (JP/NA/EU, Jan-Mar)
Percentage of titles played on the first day among consoles with a
registered Nintendo Account and connected to the network/
In cases where multiple titles were played, each counts as one/
Free to start titles are excluded/ Source: Nintendo
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/
Let's Go, Eevee!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Party
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
After the start of the calendar year, the title driving the
most hardware sales is
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
.
This is a list of titles played by consumers on their first
day after purchasing Nintendo Switch, between January
and March 2019. As you can see,
Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate
was the title most commonly played by users
with new Nintendo Switch systems.
When
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
was first released, it
was played by people within a wide age range, and
particularly by men in their 20s to early 30s. As time has
passed, however, the range of consumers playing this
game has widened even further. Our data shows that
the range of consumers showing interest in this game is
also increasing, which means the title draws such a
broad range of people.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Nintendo Switch Continued Gaining
Momentum After Start of New Year
To sum up the sales status for Nintendo Switch itself,
growth in hardware sales after the turn of the year has
not peaked, but rather continues to pick up speed.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
+50%
Nintendo Switch First-Party Software Sell-Through (JP/NA/EU)
(million
units)
FY Ended March
2019
FY Ended March
2018
April
through
June
July
through
September
October
through
December
January
through
March
Includes console bundles and digital sales / Source: Nintendo , Media Create
Sell-through of first-party Nintendo Switch titles has
remained good, with both new and previously-released
titles performing well even after January subsequent to
the holiday season, and ultimately exceeding last years
Q4 growth by 50%.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
FY Ended March 2018
FY Ended March 2019
Nintendo Switch First-Party Software Sell-Through (JP/NA/EU)
(million
units)
Includes console bundles and digital sales / Source: Nintendo , Media Create
+70%
Apr May Jun Jul
Aug
Sep Oct
Nov
Dec Jan Feb Mar
This graph shows the trend in cumulative sell-through
over one year. The pace throughout the fiscal year
ended March 2019 was better than the previous year,
and it accelerated considerably during the holiday
season. Full-year sell-through was up 70% over the
previous year.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Became a million seller within
two weeks after release
Includes digital sales / Does not include sell-through in some regions, including Asia and Latin America. / Source: Nintendo , Media Create
(As of the end of March)
Maintaining a steady pace,
with sell-through of more
than 2.5 million units.
Released in January 2019
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
sold over a million
copies within two weeks of its release in January 2019,
and has continued to maintain a steady pace. As of the
end of March, cumulative sell-through had passed 2.5
million units globally. It
has also helped drive hardware
sales since the start of the year, and we have confirmed
that it is contributing to active engagement with
Nintendo Switch.
Outperformed past titles at
release
Relatively high percentage
of female consumers in
Japan and abroad
Released in March 2019
Initial sales of
Yoshis Crafted World
, released at the
end of March, have like many of the other Nintendo
Switch games released so far, outperformed that of past
titles in the series. In addition, the percentage of female
consumers is relatively high for this title compared to
other Nintendo Switch titles, both in Japan and
overseas.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
Digital Sales Trends
118.8 billion yen
(Billion
Yen)
Launch
FY Ended
March 2013
FY Ended
March 2014
FY Ended
March 2015
FY Ended
March 2016
FY Ended
March 2017
FY Ended
March 2018
FY Ended
March 2019
Source: Nintendo
Digital sales have expanded greatly since the launch of
Nintendo Switch. This graph compares sales of digital
content within our dedicated video game platform
business over the years. Sales nearly doubled in the
fiscal year ended March 2019 compared to the previous
fiscal year, and exceeded 100 billion yen for the first
time ever. The Nintendo Switch business has expanded
over the previous year not only in download versions of
packaged software, but also in download-only software
and add-on content, plus contributions from Nintendo
Switch Online.
Note: Sales include pro-rated Nintendo Switch Online
memberships, based on the portion of the subscription
term that has elapsed.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Sales per
Hardware Unit
Platform
Total sales (yen)
Software Attach Rate
Software units sold
Hardware units soldHardware units sold
Id now like to address the Nintendo Switch business
from a slightly different angle. One conventional metric
used in the dedicated platform business is the
tie ratio
,
or the attach rate of software per unit of hardware. This
is calculated by dividing the number of software units
sold by the number of hardware units sold. However,
with the rise in digital sales, we are witnessing the rapid
sales growth of indie titles at a wide range of price
points, and add-on content sales that cannot be counted
with the number of software units sold. As a result,
software attach rate calculated using conventional
methods no longer adequately reflects the actual state
of our business.
Instead, we would like to look at "sales per hardware
unit," which is the overall sales for the platform divided
by sales of the hardware itself. Note that this is
calculated based on sales recognized by the company,
and it differs from individual consumer spending.
37,000
39,800
42,100
41,700
49,000
55,000
Sales Per Hardware Unit (Cumulative)
Wii
Source: Nintendo
Yen
Yen
Yen
Yen
Yen
Yen
1st FY
Sales
2nd FY
Sales
3rd FY
Sales
Japan/ The Ameri cas/E urope cum ula ti ve tot al sal es at the end of ea ch fis cal ye ar, adjus ted for exch ange rat es ba sed on the
av erage rat e for th e f iscal ye ar ended March 2019, di vid ed by con so le sel l -in nu mbers ./S ource: Ni ntend o
Nintendo Switch
This graph shows the sales trends per Nintendo Switch
system for each fiscal year. It is based on the total
numbers at the end of the fiscal year for each of the
three major regions, adjusted to account for differing
exchange rates. For comparison, sales per Wii system
are shown in gray. The figures on the slide include
hardware and software sales, sales of accessories like
Joy-Con controllers and the Nintendo Switch Pro
Controllers, sales of titles from other software
publishers physically manufactured by Nintendo on
commission, add-on content sold digitally, and Nintendo
Switch Online revenue.
A straightforward comparison is difficult due to the
original prices and bundle specifications of Nintendo
Switch and Wii hardware being different. That said, you
can see that Nintendo Switch has seen a significant rise
in sales per hardware unit year by year, and sales are
higher than for Wii.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Software sell-through even stronger
than hardware
Digital sales expanding greatly
High level of sales per hardware unit
Allow me to summarize what weve covered so far.
Software sales momentum is stronger than hardware
sales momentum. Digital sales increased substantially
from the previous fiscal year, approximately doubled. In
addition, Nintendo Switch has high sales per hardware
unit.
Incidentally, the number of monthly active users
between January and March this year was double that of
the same month last year, confirming that now after the
second holiday season consumers are continuing to play
Nintendo Switch.
Current State Of Nintendo Switch
Hardware installed base has
continued to grow faster since
the new year
Nintendo Switch business
expanding on hardware spread
As we have discussed, you can see that Nintendo
Switch hardware is being purchased by many
consumers, and we have built a solid business on its
growth. Overall, we can say that the Nintendo Switch
business is very sound.
Outlook for the Fiscal Year
Ending March 2020
Let’s turn to the outlook for the fiscal year ending March
2020.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
The Nintendo Switch business
remains in a growth phase
Currently, the Nintendo Switch business remains in a
growth phase. This term, we can expect hardware
adoption to once again expand at a faster pace than the
previous fiscal year.
So that more and more people
around the world will realize
that Nintendo Switch is
something relevant to them
Nintendo Switch is a home gaming system that can also
be brought away from the front of the TV and played on
the go. If we can specifically and more broadly convey
messages of what kind of play experiences this game
system can offer in what kind of situations in the
consumers everyday lives, we believe more and more
people worldwide will come to view Nintendo Switch as
something relevant to them.
In the new fiscal year, in addition to the evergreen titles
that have been enjoying long, continued sales, Nintendo
and other software publishers will release many new
titles, including the ones that I will introduce shortly,
that can convey the fun of playing Nintendo Switch to
even more people. We will make efforts to bring the
broader awareness of a variety of different
entertainment experiences that the unique combination
of Nintendo Switch hardware and a variety of different
software can offer, not just among video game fans but
even among people who have never before been
interested in video games.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
One pair of major titles being released this new fiscal
year is
Pokémon Sword
and
Pokémon Shield.
These new titles, first announced in a Pokémon Direct in
February, have generated a huge response from
consumers.
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!
and
Pokémon:
Lets Go, Eevee!
, which were released in November of
last year, are designed to highlight the fun of Nintendo
Switch in TV mode, for example by waving the controller
at the TV screen to capture Pokémon.
Pokémon Sword
and
Pokémon Shield
are being developed to emphasize
the fun of playing Nintendo Switch in handheld mode.
We want these games to be played not only by longtime
Pokémon
fans, but also by consumers whose first
encounter with the series was on a dedicated video
game platform with
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!
and
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!
.
Super Mario Maker 2
is scheduled for release in June.
This title is a completely new sequel to
Super Mario
Maker
, which was released on the Wii U and Nintendo
3DS systems.
This title is filled with new gameplay mechanics and
new ways to play that were not previously available in
the series. The game takes full advantage of the
features of Nintendo Switch to allow anyone to freely
create and play their own custom Super Mario levels.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
We also released a fourth Nintendo Labo kit this month,
Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit
. Users can construct
five Toy-Con from cardboard parts, including a Toy-Con
Blaster, Toy-Con Camera, and Toy-Con Bird, then pair
them with Nintendo Switch to enjoy unique experiences
in a VR space through their body movements. For
example, while controlling the in-game action, users can
press a pedal with their foot to create and feel an actual
breeze. This is probably different from the image you
have of a VR device. Users can also create their own
games in VR.
The three Nintendo Labo kits released last year received
an Innovation Award at the Game Developers
Conference in the US this March, and a BAFTA Family
award and Game Innovation award at this months
British Academy Games Awards. The product has been
recognized for its innovation in many countries and we
are exceptionally proud of these achievements.
Nintendo Labo is even being used in schools, and we
are continuing to pursue sales so that even more
consumers can enjoy the series.
Note: BAFTA stands for British Academy of Film and
Television Arts.
Latest in the SeriesLatest in the Series
First-Party Titles Announced for the New Fiscal Year
As you can see, we will constantly release new titles
during the fiscal year ahead. And there are still more
titles that we havent yet discussed. We intend to
continue to expand the lineup of software that can be
enjoyed by consumers around the world and that will
keep people playing Nintendo Switch.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Add-on Content and Free Updates
In addition, we will continue with efforts designed to
keep consumers playing software long after it has been
released. For example, we released a major free update
to
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
that adds a Stage Builder
and the ability to edit and post gameplay videos,
simultaneous with the release of the first set of paid
add-on content this month.
Mario Tennis Aces
was
released back in June of last year, but we have
continued to hold tournaments and distribute new
characters, and in a major free update added a new kind
of gameplay, also this month. By releasing content
online and holding events that build excitement for a
game, we are making the game fresh for consumers and
encouraging them to keep playing.
A Selection of Titles from Other Software Publishers
to Be Released This Fiscal Year
We are also bringing an even richer variety of new titles
from other software publishers as we enter the third
year of Nintendo Switch. What you see here is just a
sample. These will range from evergreen titles for video
game fans to titles that can be enjoyed by anyone,
regardless of age or gender, characteristic titles created
by indie developers, a variety of genre-specific games,
and more. By bringing them together, the Nintendo
Switch library will continue to meet consumers diverse
tastes.
Many publishers are developing titles for Nintendo
Switch because it has met our expectations of
widespread adoption, and because we made our
development environment available from the very
beginning. The number of Nintendo Switch development
kits shipped to publishers continues to greatly exceed
the number of kits for any of our previous platforms, and
many developers are creating titles for Nintendo Switch.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Source: Nintendo
Membership now exceeds 9.8 million accounts
Half a year has passed since Nintendo Switch Online
went live last September. Global memberships now
exceed 9.8 million accounts, excluding free trial
memberships.
Note: This number includes family memberships.
A variety of
services for
members
Tetris 99
has been available for free since February as a
special offer to Nintendo Switch Online members. This
game pits 99 players against each other in online battle.
It has been played by 2.8 million accounts and has
helped boost engagement for Nintendo Switch. We plan
to implement in-game events to encourage consumers
to keep enjoying the game.
Nintendo Switch Online members are also enjoying
Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch
Online. Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo
Switch Online gives members instant access to a variety
of classic NES games with added online play.Through
these initiatives we are working to make these services
more attractive over the long-term on Nintendo Switch
Online.
A collaboration with Tencent to
launch Nintendo Switch in China
is in progress
As we announced today, a collaboration with Tencent to
launch Nintendo Switch in China is in progress. We
expect to maximize our business in China by working
with Tencent Holdings Limited, which holds one of the
largest positions in Chinas network communication and
game markets. Since the launch timing is undetermined,
we have not factored this business into our financial
forecasts for this new fiscal year.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Early Sumer 2019 Summer 2019
Mobile Business
Next, I will cover our mobile business. We are
continuously implementing events and updates and
adding more ways to satisfy consumers as we work to
optimize how we operate each application. Overall
revenue from the mobile business has expanded
compared to the previous fiscal year. As previously
mentioned, we will release both
Dr. Mario World
and
Mario Kart Tour
this summer. This means we will be
operating a total of six applications globally starting this
summer.
Scheduled for May 21 - June 4 2019 (PDT)
As we announced the other day, we are accepting
applications for closed beta testing of
Mario Kart Tour
.
The closed beta is scheduled to start on May 21 (Pacific
Daylight Time). Based on the information we gather
from this testing and from the opinions of the
participants, we will proceed with final preparations for
release.
The six applications including
Mario Kart Tour
deal with
different IP, and the goals and the characteristics for the
applications also differ. Going forward, we will leverage
the ubiquity of mobile devices to expand the number of
people who have access to Nintendo IP through multiple
applications like these.
IP Expansion Business
We are continuing to implement a variety of initiatives in
our IP expansion business. Starting in April, we
launched a T-shirt collaboration with UNIQLO CO., LTD.
in various regions of the world earlier this month. We
will continue our efforts to increase opportunities for
people to have access to Nintendo IP and increase the
value of that IP, which is the source of our competitive
edge.
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Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2019
Finally, let me talk about the E3 video game trade show
that will be held in Los Angeles this June. Once again,
Nintendo will not be hosting a large-scale conference
for institutional investors, securities analysts, and the
media. Instead, we plan to continue our practice of the
past few years, which is to release a video presentation
discussing the games that are planned for release
during the fiscal year, provide hands-on opportunities,
and so on. The world championship tournaments
for
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
and
Splatoon 2
will be held
on June 8, right before the start of E3.
This concludes todays presentation. Thank you.
Note: E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It is a
trade show for the video game industry that is held
every year in the United States.
Disclaimers
The contents of this briefing as well as of the accompanying documents and materials are based
upon the information available and the judgments which can be made at the time of the
announcement. Nintendo is not responsible for updating or changing these materials if the
information presented changes due to future circumstances or for other reasons.
Also, forecasts referred to in this briefing and accompanying documents and materials involve known
and unknown risks and uncertainties. Please note that such risks and uncertainties may cause actual
results to be materially different from the forecasts.