Nintendo in 2023: A $1.3 billion movie, an acclaimed Zelda sequel and more Mario
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It’s been an eventful year for the Nintendo brand.
In April, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” — an animated film with Chris Pratt voicing Nintendo’s most recognizable character — opened in theaters and made more than $570 million on opening weekend. The movie has now brought in more than $1.3 billion worldwide, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. That’s second only to “Barbie.”
The next month, Nintendo released its biggest title in years. Tears of the Kingdom is the latest game in the long-running Legend of Zelda series. More than 10 million copies were sold in the first three days, and critics were generous with their praise.
In November, the company announced that production of a live-action Legend of Zelda movie is underway.
Here’s a look at Nintendo’s 2023:
Major game releases
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet DLC: Last year’s big holiday release — two open-world Pokemon games — sold more than 10 million copies in three days. Both games can now be expanded with paid downloadable content called The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. The DLC features more than 230 new and returning Pokemon characters, according to Nintendo.
Super Mario. Bros Wonder: The first 2D side-scrolling Mario game in more than 10 years, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a familiar format and formula. The unique element in this game is the “Wonder Flower,” which causes “dramatic and unexpected changes” for Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi and others, according to Nintendo, which bills this game as “great for beginners.” The game accommodates up to four players and also features online play.
Detective Pikachu Returns: Pikachu and Tim Goodman search for Tim’s missing father. “Along the way, the detective duo will work with other Pokémon to help crack cases across Ryme City,” according to Nintendo.
Pikmin 4: The highly original, hard-to-explain Pikmin franchise returned in 2023. Pikmin 4 became available for the Nintendo Switch on July 21. This unique game explores strange planets using “small, plant-like creatures you can grow, pluck, command and overpower your enemies with during your grand mission,” according to Nintendo.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: The sequel to Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild became the fastest-selling Nintendo game in company history. “It’s hard to overstate how big this game feels,” said IGN’s review, which gave the game score of 10 and a designation of “Masterpiece.”
1-2 Switch: A collection of active party games played with the Switch Joy-Con controller. 1-2 Switch can accommodate up to eight players for lighthearted games such as Ice Cream Parlor, Quiz Party, Color Shoot and UFOs.
Metroid Prime: During February’s Nintendo Direct online event, it was announced that a remastered version of “Metroid Prime” was immediately available. The game originally debuted on the Game Cube and featured first-person perspective and 3D graphics. The fifth game in the Metroid franchise, “Prime Remastered” takes Samus Aran to the planet of Tallon IV with updated visuals and enhanced sound.
Nintendo Direct
The most recent Nintendo Direct — a livestream where the company reveals trailers, release dates and announcements of new games — took place in September. Nintendo’s Shinya Takahashi introduced a trailer for Wave 2 of the Expansion Pass for Splatoon 3 and announcements for games such as Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Super Mario RPG, Horizon Chase 2 and Princess Peach: Showtime! Also, the completion date for a Nintendo museum in Japan was announced.
Other offerings
Nintendo is also offering a personalized year in review based on activity associated with a user’s Nintendo Account, such as hours played and favorite games.
An OLED Switch model themed around one of Nintendo’s most popular games — Super Smash Bros. — is available.
What’s ahead for 2024?
The following titles are scheduled for release in the upcoming year:
Mario vs. Donkey Kong — Feb. 16
Princess Peach: Showtime! — March 22
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD — TBD
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door — TBD
