👉 Background: Nintendo is the Japanese video game company founded in 1889.. But over the last 133 years, it has evolved into one of the world's leading video game and gaming console companies.

👉 What happened: Last week, Nintendo increased its annual earnings forecast after reporting a 34% jump in quarterly profits. But now, Mario, Luigi, Peach and the team are preparing for life after video games.

👉 What else: Two key events took place as part of this reporting:

1. Nintendo announced a plan to get high quality Nintendo games on to smartphones.
2. Nintendo’s making Mario spin-offs so it can “build a relationship” with new fans - think: Super Mario Bros Move released next year and Super Nintendo World opening next year in the US.

What's the key learning?

💡When you own the characters, you own the revenue stream. Nintendo is finally taking a leaf out of Disney’s book and wants to monetise its characters in a big way.

💡Over the last few decades, Disney has shown that popular characters can successfully spin off into other product categories and industries. We’re talking toys, movies, merchandise, theme parks, cruises.

💡So if Nintendo can expand into a theme park and media behemoth, it may be able to overcome any drops in revenue it faces in its core gaming business.

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