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Writer's pictureFrancesca Mazzola

NINTENDO RULES THE WORLD BUT NOT THE UK

The Japanese videogame company contributed to the gaming industry breaking the sale records all over the world but the latest gaming console doesn’t have the same result in the UK.

Major consoles games and premium pc titles were the real drivers of the gaming industry this year, according to the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment.

Nintendo’s new console -launched in 2017- was the third bestselling item with 1.4 million units sold in the UK but it’s not a good result as it was with the previous models.

In fact, the Nintendo Wii is still holding the record as the second fastest selling console after Sony PlayStation 2.

“Nintendo sales are quiet this year but in general it is the best seller,” says Steven Barrett, 44, owner of Playtronix retro-game shop in Romford.

Playtronix is a videogames Aladdin’s cave where any type of console and Japanese original titles can be bought or sold.

Barrett started buying and selling games since the age of 16 and his opinion about Nintendo is always positive, “Nintendo is still going strong because they have a big variety of family games while the other competitors like Sony mostly have shooting titles,” he says.

Nintendo Switch is the fastest selling machine in France and the fastest-selling console ever outside the US and Europe.

“In other countries they have a broader variety of games while UK buyers always purchase the same stuff, so I think this is the reason why it didn’t take off as expected,” says Barrett.

According to gamesindustry.biz Nintendo remains a best seller because of its return-to-roots approach which allows the company to better maintain the relationship with fans, nostalgic gamers and newer generations.

NES, N64, Gameboy, Gameboy advance and then the Nintendo DS all brought the gaming experience to another level; Nintendo felt that the increased difficulty of games would have shrink its audience. For this reason they created the Nintendo Wii which involves physical movements and before it the easy and fun touchscreen on the DS.

“I like the Nintendo Switch but as a handheld console,” says Jae Robinson, 31, event coordinator.

Robinson is a great Nintendo fan who attended every Nintendo event included the Pokémon National Championship and Nintendo World Championship for the last ten years.

“My father got my first Nintendo back in 1989 and I have got every single Nintendo console on release since then,” says Robinson whose favourite title is Pokémon Emerald. Nintendo Switch is marketed as a home console that can transform in a portable system “in an instant” but Robinson is quite critical about it, “The console dock needs re-designing as you require to have a screen protector on the screen to stop the scratching when you dock it,” he says.

The latest novelty about the family-friendly all time favourite is the new Nintendo Switch Online, a service allowing players to enjoy a community experience with an online multiplayer experience.

This service reached 9,8 million subscribers in just six months because of a cheap $19,99 annual membership and discounted family memberships for up to eight consoles.

“Nintendo will be around forever since they started in 1885,” says Jae Robinson but also because as they did with “Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (for WiiU) “they always keep things fresh to draw new players”.

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