Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co is eyeing the movie business for growth.
Company spokesman Makoto Wakae yesterday said details were undecided, but the work might be a theater release or a DVD.
Nintendo, which makes the Wii U home console and Nintendo 3DS handheld machine, has licensed its game characters in the past, such as with its Pokemon movies, but it is now thinking about making its own film content.
It would not become a fully fledged film studio, but filmmaking is an area it has chosen for future investment of proceeds from selling its stake in the major league Seattle Mariners, planned for later this year, Kyoto-based Nintendo said.
The Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun yesterday reported that Nintendo’s work might be 3D animation. It said Nintendo is in talks with various film companies over a possible partnership.
Wakae said an announcement would be made, but even the details of the Mariners sale have not yet been announced.
Nintendo has seen its growth stagnate in recent eyes amid competition from smartphones and other devices, and films could revive interest in its franchise, which also includes The Legend of Zelda.
Nintendo reported a ¥24 billion (US$220.67 million) loss for the first quarter, bigger than the loss it reported in the same period last year. For the fiscal year ended March 31, it earned ¥16.5 billion, down 61 percent from the previous fiscal year.
Wii U sales have lagged rivals Sony Corp’s PlayStation 4 console and Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One.
After years of scoffing at the threat from smartphones, Nintendo did an about-face last year and entered an alliance with Japanese mobile game company DeNA Co to develop games for mobile devices.
It has also said its new game platform codenamed NX is to be launched globally in March next year.
Last month, Nintendo of America said it is selling its majority stake in the Seattle Mariners to a group of minority owners led by new chairman and chief executive officer John Stanton.
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