Three days ago, Nintendo held a special investor meeting to discuss the financial ramifications of the recent Pokémon Go phenomenon. During the meeting, Nintendo clarified that it does not own a controlling interest of The Pokémon Company. Nintendo's stock price has dropped significantly since it revealed this fact.
Although Nintendo doesn’t own The Pokémon Company, it does own a portion of the company and holds 32 percent voting power. The revelation means that Nintendo does benefit from the success of The Pokémon Company, but neither company is directly responsible for Pokémon Go.
Niantic actually produced Pokémon Go after it licensed the Pokémon IP. The Pokémon Company will receive the licensing fee in addition to some compensation for help developing and operating Pokémon Go, but the overall financial impact on the company will be rather limited.
Immediately following the release of Pokémon Go, Nintendo’s stock prices shot up, jumping from roughly 14,490 JPY ($141 USD) to 20,260 JPY ($197 USD) in just a few days. Stock prices peaked at 31,770 ($300.21 USD) on July 19 and then settled at 28,220 JPY ($266.67 USD) until the investors meeting on July 22. Since then, stock prices have fallen to 23,220 JPY ($219.42 USD).
Overall, Nintendo’s stock price is still elevated compared to its typical cost before the launch of Pokémon Go, but it may continue to drop over the next several days.
There are plans for The Pokémon Company to produce new products, such as the Pokémon Go Plus wristband, to help capitalize on the success of the game, which should further increase the company’s profits from Pokémon Go. The Pokémon Go Plus wristband connects to your smartphone and notifies you when a Pokémon is nearby so that you don’t need to keep your eyes locked on your smartphone.
The release of Pokémon Go Plus and other Pokémon Go accessories will benefit The Pokémon Company more than Nintendo itself, but it may have significant financial effects on Nintendo as well.
