Sony makes PlayStations; owns a giant movie studio; runs one of the world’s biggest record companies; makes TV shows and consumer electronics like cameras, smartphones, and televisions; and produces medical equipment. Nintendo, which makes gaming consoles, has a one-third stake in the Pokémon parent company and an undisclosed stake in the company that’s developing Pokémon Go. And now Nintendo is the more valuable company.
With Pokémon Go reported to be launching in Japan on Wednesday, Nintendo’s stock soared another 14% today; it has more than doubled in value since July 6, the day the game launched. Nintendo is now worth about $42 billion, well above Sony, which is valued at just over $38 billion.
All of that money, and it hasn’t even gotten to Japan yet?
The next time your teenager won’t look up from the phone, find out what he or she is obsessed with and see if it’s an investment opportunity.
It’s a mad, mad, mobile world out there, and app gaming is really still in its infancy. The dirty little not-so-secret about smartphone games is that adults like to play them more than they (I still don’t really consider myself an adult, even though I’m around 107) let on. For every one adult I know complaining about Pokémon Go, I seem to know three playing it. The only reason I have jumped in yet is that I’ve been having a software problem with my phone for about a week and a half.
Apparently, this craze has proved that McDonald’s hasn’t lost all of its marketing mojo just yet:
McDonald’s Holdings, the Japanese unit of the global burger chain, had its stock rise over 5% in Japan on Tuesday after news that it would sponsor Pokémon Go’s launch in its home country, TechCrunch reported, by turning its locations into “gyms” for use by players. It has also been offering Pokémon-themed Happy Meals, and the stock is up over 11% in the last five trading days.
In a world that is going more insane by the day, a temporary escape that doesn’t ruin your liver can be a good thing.
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