- Title: Nintendo pins future on Switch, Mario
- Date: 15th June 2017
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 14, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES ON NINTENDO SWITCH
- Embargoed: 29th June 2017 03:28
- Keywords: Nintendo Switch Super Mario Odyssey game E3 Reggie Fils-Aime
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Video Games
- Reuters ID: LVA0016LDZ8UL
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Nintendo is pinning its success on Switch - that was apparent at Los Angeles's E3 gaming convention on Wednesday (June 14), where the vast majority of the company's massive spread was devoted to the new console.
Launched on March 3rd, Nintendo sold 2.7 million units in the first month. That's on track to meet their 10 million unit goal this year, according to president and chief operating officer Reggie Fils-Aime.
"If anything, the demand continues to exceed all of our expectations. It's exceeding the amount of supply that we're putting out in the marketplace. As we announce new games, like Super Mario Odyssey, the excitement continues to grow," said Fils-Aime.
One reason behind the Switch's strong start is that unlike its predecessor Wii U, the console has a long list of game titles from independent studios because Nintendo made the Switch compatible with publicly available game development platforms from the start.
But despite its openness with third parties this time around, Nintendo is relying heavily on a familiar face - Mario, who's been a video game staple since the early 1980s. Fils-Aime said there are no signs of fans getting bored of the cartoon plumber.
"What makes Mario games special is that our developers have a unique element always in every single Mario game. And this year, with Super Mario Odyssey, it's the hat. It's the ability for Mario to throw a hat to capture another item and to essentially turn into that item, whether it's a Bullet Bill or Tyrannosaurus Rex and that gameplay mechanic makes it really special. And right now the reaction to that has been tremendous here at E3."
Fils-Aime said he wasn't worried about competitor's consoles, like Microsoft's newly released Xbox One X that boast 4k capabilities.
"For us, what others do is up to them. We want to make sure that we're making our products as accessible as possible." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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