Nintendo hints at making more movies and shows involving its franchises and characters

Nintendo could be bringing movie and TV-style adventures involving its iconic characters to screens both big and small.

Under a slide marked “Visual Content Expansion” in its latest quarterly report, Nintendo outlined its potential plans for the entertainment sphere.

“We have… already embarked on multiple other visual content expansion projects, and are pursuing further opportunities,” Nintendo said.

That could extend to beyond the silver screen, too: “Going forward, visual content expansion initiatives may not be limited to film. The scale of our investments will vary based on the type of project, but we will continue to invest in these entertainment expansion initiatives to increase the number of people who have access to our IP.”

That “IP” is the key takeaway here. Throughout the report, Nintendo trumpeted its greater audience reach thanks to a switch-up in strategy, from Nintendo theme parks, to merchandising, and bringing some of its franchises to mobile, such as Mario Kart: Tour.

It may be a pipe dream, but this is the closest Nintendo has gotten to breaking away from games and into other mediums – and the possibilities are endless.

Nintendo has sporadically dabbled in movies and shows for its franchises – a popular Kirby cartoon ran in Japan across the 2000s, though the less said about the 1990s Zelda show the better – but this feels like a real shift in intentions.

It follows on from official confirmation that Nintendo is bringing the Super Mario movie to theaters in 2022. Forget the MCU, the NCU is where it’s at now.

Keep track of all the releases on the way with our list of upcoming Switch games.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.