Nintendo aims to use more franchises for “visual content” like movies

You don’t need to be a genius or an “insider” to realize that Nintendo is planning more movie-style content beyond the Illumination-developed Super Mario movie due in late 2022. From the appointment of Illumination founder Chris Meledandri to Nintendo’s board of directors Beyond the director, amid persistent rumors that more projects are in the works – most recently with Donkey Kong – it is clear that there is a strategy to further develop key brands.

During recent investor questions and answers certain phrases are often repeated, one of which is “visual content” to refer to an upcoming movie and more. When asked about the company’s plans for further development in this area, Shigeru Miyamoto understandably tried to avoid details, but stressed that this is an important area for the company.

I have high hopes for the Super Mario computer animated film. For decades, our approach has been to make consumers smile by creating each product with great care. When it comes to visual content, we want to continue to create content that brings smiles to generations of consumers around the world. We recently announced a release date for the movie as production is nearing completion. In the future, we want to actively use other IP addresses as well. With visual content, people can experience Nintendo IP in a wide variety of places, so I think it’s good to have a lot of content available to people who don’t have a dedicated gaming device. However, we want to continue to create each headline with the utmost care, so I cannot talk about a specific number. We want to work hard to create a strong proposal.

Of course, not every project will necessarily be a film. In the past, Nintendo has dabbled in the likes of Pikmin Shorts with small animations of 10 minutes or less. There are also other key franchises that can be turned into captivating entertainment in film and television, such as The Legend of Zelda and Metroid.

It is clear, however, that after a long time of very limited interaction with “visual content,” Nintendo is now making it a key part of its strategy.

Aside from the rumored DK movie, what kind of franchises would you like to see as Nintendo’s visual content? This scribe votes for the Metroid TV series, although it seems unlikely. Sound, as always, in the comments!