According to the most recent data from Dr Serkan Toto, an analyst for the video game business, PIF of Saudi Arabia now owns 6.07% of the Japanese video game producer Nintendo. PIF formerly owned 5.01 per cent of Nintendo, but they have now decided to purchase more shares. After The Master Trust Bank of Japan (17,63%) and the Custody Bank of Japan, PIF continues to be Nintendo’s third-largest shareholder (6,47).
The video game producer is one of the world’s biggest console makers and game developers. According to VG Charts, Nintendo Switch’s system outsold PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S significantly in 2021 and 2022. Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Kirby are just a few of the video game properties produced by Nintendo.
Toto also mentions that PIF declared today that they have invested in the stunning MMORPG Elyon-maker Kakao Entertainment in South Korea. “It was just announced Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) upped its stake in Nintendo from 5.01% to 6.07%. The same fund also said it invested in South Korean game and messenger giant Kakao Entertainment,” Toto tweeted.
Anyone who follows the video game industry should not be surprised by such investments from PIF. However, PIF frequently invests in game publishers.
According to Front Office Sports, PIF owns $2.9 billion worth of Activision Blizzard and $1.9 billion worth of Electronic Arts. Additionally, $1.4 billion worth of Take-Two Interactive stock.
In its most recent annual report on Japan’s software and hardware sales, released earlier, Famitsu revealed nine of the top 10 physical games. They were Nintendo Switch games, with the Nintendo Switch itself being the best-selling hardware for 2022.
Since 2004, when the business had the majority of the top ten-selling titles. Nintendo has therefore dominated the physical software rankings in Japan on an annual basis. Eight of the top ten games in 2004 were on Sony’s PS2 platform, which won against the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube that year.
13 best selling titles in Japan was released by Nintendo
Since then, according to historical Famitsu data, the game company’s systems have accounted for most of Japan’s top ten best-selling games yearly. Since 2004, the annual best-selling game of Japan has been on a non-Nintendo platform only twice.
Nintendo released 13 of the previous 19 best-selling titles in Japan. On the hardware front, the PSP in 2010 was the only non-Nintendo platform to win in Japan in the previous 18 years. Every other year, one of the following was the most famous piece of hardware: DS, 3DS, or Nintendo Switch.
As PS5 supply shortages persisted for a large portion of the year. However the Switch was once again the country’s best-selling console in terms of hardware. Nine of the top ten physical video games in Japan in 2022 were available on Switch. The PS4 version of Elden Ring was the sole exception and came in at position 10.
With total sales of over 4.8 million, the Switch outsold every other console combined. Moreover increased its lifetime sales in Japan to almost 27.7 million.
