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Nintendo Co Ltd is in talks with several global production
companies about expanding its video content business, including
making movies, said Tatsumi Kimishima, president of the Japanese
videogame maker.
The move is aimed at strengthening Nintendo's character business
and expanding the global gaming population, he told the Asahi
newspaper in an interview published Monday.
"We're talking with various partners. I think we'll be able to
decide something in the not-too-distant future," Kimishima told
the Japanese daily.
Kimishima declined to say when any projects would be announced
but said it would not be as far off as five years. He would not
say which of Nintendo's popular characters were being considered
for use.
A Nintendo spokesman told Reuters that Kimishima's comments
referred to "video content" but did not deny the possibility of
making movies.
Nintendo is diversifying its operations to counter a shrinking
console business. It has entered the fast-growing mobile game
segment and reached a deal with NBCUniversal to develop
theme-park attractions.
In fact, Nintendo already allows film companies to use its
characters through licensing agreements, such as for the "Pokemon"
franchise. There was also a Hollywood live-action movie based on
"Super Mario" in 1993 but it was a box office and critical bomb.
But Kimishima told the Asahi that this time, Nintendo would like
to do things itself as much as possible, rather than just
licensing out its content, and said it was unlikely to be
live-action.
In 2014, "Super Mario" creator Shigeru Miyamoto screened a 3D
short-animation film based on Nintendo's Pikmin characters at
the Tokyo International Film Festival, and in an interview with
Reuters left the door open to future film projects. http://reut.rs/1V5o0j4
(Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Additional reporting by Yoshiyasu
Shida and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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