Nintendo to produce Super Mario animation film with Illumination

Reuters
A woman poses with a costumed character of Super Mario during the world's largest computer games fair Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese videogames maker Nintendo Co Ltd said on Thursday it would team with U.S. film studio Illumination Entertainment to produce an animation film using its Super Mario Bros characters.

The film would be distributed by Universal Pictures, President Tatsumi Kimishima said at a meeting with analysts on son Thursday. The launch date has not been decided.

It is part of Nintendo's efforts to diversify revenue sources as the firm's earnings are heavily reliant on the gaming console business.

On Wednesday, the company reported its biggest third-quarter operating profit in eight years, driven by smashing demand for its new Switch games console, and said it expected annual earnings to outstrip its previous estimate.

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Himani Sarkar)