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A case study of Nintendo during COVID-19: illustrated by the launch of Nintendo Switch and Animal Crossing: New Horizons
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A case study of Nintendo during COVID-19: illustrated by the launch of Nintendo Switch and Animal Crossing: New Horizons
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Content
A Case Study of Nintendo During COVID-19:
Illustrated by The Launch of Nintendo Switch and Animal Crossing: New Horizons
by
Zhuoyi Ge (Ryan)
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL
FOR COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS
May 2021
Copyright 2021 ZHUOYI GE
ii
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my esteemed chair – Prof. Fred Cook for his invaluable supervision
and support during the course of writing the thesis. My gratitude extends to my other two committee
members, Prof. Stephen Jones and Prof. Burghardt Tenderich.
Additionally, I would like to express gratitude to the five focus group members who help me
with the research, Vella Qiu, Peter Chen, Roy Fanntl, Josh Williams, and Rebecca Cloy.
My appreciation also goes out to my family and friends for their encouragement and support
all through my studies.
iii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... ii
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. v
Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... vi
Preface ....................................................................................................................................................... vii
Chapter 1: Global Gaming Industry Overview ...................................................................................... 1
Before 2020 ................................................................................................................................. 1
2020 Evolution ............................................................................................................................ 5
Microsoft ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Sony ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Gamers’ Preferences ................................................................................................................. 11
Chapter 2: Nintendo ................................................................................................................................. 15
Company Background ............................................................................................................... 15
Statement of Problem and Opportunity Before COVID-19 ...................................................... 16
Nintendo SWOT Analysis ......................................................................................................... 18
Demographic Shift and Audience Psychology.......................................................................... 24
Strategic Insights ....................................................................................................................... 25
Chapter 3: Animal Crossing: New Horizons ........................................................................................ 28
Background ............................................................................................................................... 28
Current Demographics .............................................................................................................. 29
What New Horizons? ................................................................................................................ 30
Built for Longevity .................................................................................................................... 31
Brand Positioning ...................................................................................................................... 33
Nostalgia Marketing .................................................................................................................. 35
User-Generated Content ............................................................................................................ 36
iv
Media Coverage ........................................................................................................................ 37
New Possibilities ....................................................................................................................... 39
Chapter 4: PR and Marketing Insights .................................................................................................. 42
Timing Matters .......................................................................................................................... 42
Simplified Purchase Path and Accessible Product .................................................................... 43
Synergize Brand and Product Marketing .................................................................................. 43
Understand Your Customers and Offer Diverse Options.......................................................... 44
Listen Carefully and Act Quickly ............................................................................................. 45
Marketing the Process Not the Results ..................................................................................... 46
Chapter 5: Future Proposals .................................................................................................................... 47
Post Pandemic Outlook ............................................................................................................. 47
Console and System Development ............................................................................................ 48
Leverage Business Cooperation ................................................................................................ 49
Strengthen Purpose .................................................................................................................... 50
Chapter 6: Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 52
References ................................................................................................................................................. 53
Appendices ................................................................................................................................................ 66
Appendix A: Interview with Stephen Jones (Golin’s EVP) ...................................................... 66
Appendix B: Focus Group Transcript ....................................................................................... 71
v
List of Figures
Figure 1: Newzoo 2020 Global Esports Market Report ................................................................. 4
Figure 2: ESA 2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry ........................................... 4
Figure 3: Increase in Time Spent Playing Video Games During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Worldwide as of March 2020 ......................................................................................................... 5
Figure 4: ESA 2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry ........................................... 6
Figure 5: Xbox Game Pass Multiplayer Statistics .......................................................................... 7
Figure 6: Sony Corporate Report 2020 ........................................................................................... 9
Figure 7: Most Played Mobile Gaming Genres Worldwide In 2019 ............................................ 12
Figure 8: 2019 Global Games Market Per Device & Segment with Year-on-Year Growth Rates
....................................................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 9: 2020 Global Games Market Per Device & Segment with Year-on-Year Growth Rates
....................................................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 10: Defining Isolation ........................................................................................................ 24
Figure 11: Gamers Around the World are Spending More Time and Money on Video Games
during the COVID-19 Crisis ......................................................................................................... 26
Figure 12: Nintendo Report on Animal Crossing Series Comparative Sell-Through .................. 30
Figure 13: Biden’s Island on Animal Crossing............................................................................. 38
Figure 14: Marc Jacobs Runaway Collections on Animal Crossing ............................................ 40
vi
Abstract
Multiple generations of video game consoles have competed in the market since the 1970s.
The characteristics and product marketing strategies of the different gaming companies have
introduced several generations of technological change into the competitive gaming environment.
These changes create a dynamic cause and effect relationship between the greater cultural context
and the development of video games -- making Nintendo an intriguing subject for public relations
research and analysis.
Nintendo, a company that has existed for over 130 years, has a long history based on deeply
rooted values, along with a global vision to make every customer smile (Nintendo CSR Report,
2020). The COVID-19 global crisis has expanded the development of the gaming industry
worldwide, which presents an interesting opportunity to study Nintendo’s marketing strategy
during this unique time period to provide guidance for other consumer-oriented companies. This
project hopes to answer a few key questions. What makes Nintendo one of the most profitable
companies in 2020? How is the pandemic going to affect Nintendo and the gaming industry as a
whole long-term? Why was Animal Crossing: New Horizons the most popular game of the year?
And lastly, what does Nintendo need to do to maintain its momentum after the crisis?
This paper offers a strategic analysis of Nintendo and its bestselling game in 2020, Animal
Crossing: New Horizon, while examining the company’s history, recent launches and competitive
advantages. It also provides an analysis of Nintendo’s internal and external environments through
qualitative research and analysis methods such as SWOT, PESO and SIP. Based on these insights
and evaluations, the author will then review multiple marketing strategies and recommend the most
appropriate one for the company to pursue in the future.
vii
Preface
Nintendo is considered by some to be a tech laggard, especially when compared to Sony
and Microsoft. Nintendo’s brand is built primarily on innovation of gameplay, e.g., motion control
with Wii and portability with Switch. Since its establishment, the company has continued
revolutionizing the gaming industry by changing the public’s perspective towards video games
(Beattie, 2020). But the reason behind choosing Nintendo as the research target was not entirely
limited to the creativity the company builds into its products that win in popularity against
competitors. It is also not merely about the company creating a friendly platform for users to
experience. Rather, Nintendo is a brilliant example of a successful company that has been able to
stand its ground during difficult periods, face failure and succeed in a market dominated by
powerful, established competitors (Sony and Microsoft) by continuously delivering innovative
concepts and caring about the needs of their consumers.
1
Chapter 1: Global Gaming Industry Overview
The past few decades have seen a consistent emergence and development of video games,
providing entertainment for both adults and children. From the previous century’s competition
between Nintendo and Atari to the present-day appearance of VR and cloud gaming, video games
have reshaped the way we interact with the world. To meet society’s demand for new entertainment,
companies like Nintendo, who were initially known for selling card games, have been dedicated
to bringing more lifelike simulators to the market. Video games, inclusive of hardware and
software, are no longer only for childhood entertainment. Rather, they have become a business
that generates tens and even hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue annually (Beattie, 2020).
Before 2020
Video games have become mainstream. The Entertainment Software Association reported
that in 2007, the overall gaming market of the United States was valued at about $9.5 billion (ESA,
2007). They took in $25.1 billion in 2010, and by 2019 have reached a record-breaking $151.55
billion (Statista, 2020). In the United States in 2017, which represented one third of the global
gaming market, more than 2,300 production companies and over 525 publishing companies were
present (including those involved in manufacturing hardware and software devices, distributors
and service providers). The total number of U.S. employees related to the video gaming industry
reached 220,000 (ESA, 2017).
The evolution of hardware devices is significant. Personal computer advancements are
rooted in improvements within graphics cards, sound cards, CPUs and 3D graphic accelerators and
2
all are connected closely to the developments in the game industry (Computer History Museum,
Timeline of Computer History). Gaming companies across emerging economies are actively
working to boost the experience of gamers, releasing and rewriting codes for many different
platforms. These advances are integrated into single products offered to the gaming consumer,
most notably the Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows PC.
Virtual reality and cloud gaming are the latest technologies to emerge. The past century
has witnessed an unrivalled development in terms of device innovation and game diversity. “As
far as immersion goes, video games have already exceeded many other forms of entertainment,
and VR and cloud gaming will add yet another layer and drive the global market” (Beattie, 2020).
There has been experimentation with controls and inputs, such as voice and gesture recognition,
touch screens and dynamic simulations. Cloud gaming in particular is booming due to the
development in cloud computing. The server, where all the games are stored and processed,
conducts all the computing work in the cloud, including game scene rendering, game logic
processing, video encoding, and video streaming. Several gaming companies including
StreamMyGame, G-cluster, and Gaikai are entering into this new market sector, leading to an
increase in competition within the traditional console gaming market (Markets Research, 2020).
As more tech companies get involved with this new trend, attention has been refocused on
video game streaming, with each tech giant having its own cloud gaming service. For example,
Facebook, in 2016, created a gaming platform framework with Unity Technologies. On this
platform, users can build games that work seamlessly across multiple platforms (Elder, 2016). In
2019, Google launched Stadia, a cloud gaming platform that allows users to play streaming video
games with a level of quality unseen before which was made available through all of Google’s
terminal products. As a result, video games can be streamed without the user needing to possess a
3
console or PC as the world moves more towards mobility (Hollister & Statt, 2019). As the cloud
stream gaming and VR technologies continue to develop, the older game cartridges and discs,
which used to serve as the foundation of traditional video gaming, will become obsolete.
Video game sales are growing on a mass scale and its demographic and commercial
markets are also expanding. More young players are joining e-sport league whose audience
reached 495 million people in 2020 (Newzoo, 2020), a staggering year-on-year growth of +11.7%
(see Figure 1). Newzoo estimates that by 2023, the number of esports viewers globally will grow
to 646 million, with “occasional viewers” and “esports enthusiasts” growing from 245 million to
351 million and 198 million to 295 million, respectively, between 2019 and 2023 (Newzoo, 2020).
Also, people are playing games regardless of their age and background (see Figure 2).
With this, numerous marketing opportunities have surfaced, leading many enterprises to
sponsor and launch large-scale promotions. For example, one could never imagine that Mercedes-
Benz, a luxurious car company which is very careful about choosing a business partner, would
seek a one-year cooperation with the League of Legend video game tournament in China
(Mercedes-Benz, 2020). It has become a new norm where brands across starkly different industries
can coexist and together make some remarkable achievements through marketing. On the other
hand, many popular games are being made into movies with prominent actors (and vice versa).
For example, Detective Pikachu (2019) has garnered over $433 million in box office revenue (Box
Office Mojo, 2019). Likewise, Sonic the Hedgehog produced by Sega was filmed in 2020 and set
a record for the biggest opening weekend as a game-based movie. The $580 million Super
Nintendo World was set to debut on Feb. 4 but was delayed due to the pandemic (Blooloop, 2020).
The video game market is growing its sectors to generate substantial revenue and demand,
providing more approaches for companies to join and follow (Beattie, 2020).
4
Figure 1: Newzoo 2020 Global Esports Market Report
Figure 2: ESA 2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry
5
2020 Evolution
Beginning from February, the global pandemic COVID-19 has made home entertainment
the only option for gamers, whereas cinemas and karaoke’s were closed until further notice
because of local “close-door” policies to curb the spread of the virus. According to a March 2020
survey from Statista (See Figure 3), gamers in the U.S. said that they spent 45% more time playing
video games after the virus outbreak compared to before, with France at 38%, UK at 29%, and
Germany at 20% (Statista, 2020).
Figure 3: Increase in Time Spent Playing Video Games During the Coronavirus Pandemic Worldwide as of March 2020
Daily in-person greetings have been replaced by having to be “putting on masks” and
“social distancing”, but not when playing video games. Through online game play video games
have connected gamers around the world and vividly enhanced people’s lifestyles beyond the joy
of playing more than ever. ESA reported that 65% of the players interact with other online gamers
6
while playing video games. Over 55% of people like to play games with their children, which
helps build their personalities and bring a sense of joy to the family (See Figure 4) (ESA, 2020).
Figure 4: ESA 2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry
Millennials and GenZ grew up on smartphones and computers. Video games have become
a natural part of everyday life, particularly during the pandemic. Six in 10 Americans believe video
games bring them joy through play (ESA, 2020). Gaming is essential in expanding people’s
currently limited lives with cooperation, teamwork, and more often than not, a little competition.
And also “thanks to” the global virus, video games have become more popular among all
generations and genders, opening new doors for business and for redefining how games influence
our lives.
7
Microsoft
Microsoft disclosed in April that the company now has 10 million subscribers to its video
game console Xbox Game Pass service, which offers hundreds of select titles that cost $9.99 per
month (Warren, 2020). The company has always been dedicated to building a “Netflix for video
games”, and this significant expansion of subscription represents that its aggressive bet on
streaming games finally is paying off. Microsoft also reported a 130% increase in co-op games
across March and April. Led by Halo Infinite, Destiny 2, and Forza Motorsport , the company’s
launch of game console Xbox Series X is reported to have had the largest and most diverse game
lineup in the gaming history, contributing to a 70% increase in friendship rate of its Xbox Game
Pass subscription service (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Xbox Game Pass Multiplayer Statistics
Due to the pandemic, the game service usage and demand saw a significant increase, as
well as the gaming activity. Xbox live gamers jumped to over 90 million this year compared to
8
last year’s 60 million (Warren, 2020). And the next stage launch of Project xCloud, Microsoft’s
cloud game streaming technology, will take the company to an even higher level of competition
in cloud gaming with Google’s Stadia and Amazon’s Luna.
Microsoft claimed that it hoped to reach 2 billion gamers around the world (Warren, 2018).
Despite its continuous promotion in its hardware and software technology, Microsoft seeks to
provide its service on broader platforms besides PCs, consoles and Android. In 2019, the company
partnered with another console game company Sony on developing its livestream services and AI
technology to enhance user experience (Microsoft, 2019). In October of last year, it announced a
multi-player strategic partnership program with GameStop to expand its digital omni-channel
ecosystem and advance the retail infrastructure (GameStop, 2020). Gamers can have immersive
experience of Microsoft’s new Surface devices in GameStop offline stores, where they can choose
the most popular games, get educated on the latest trend and socialize within the community.
9
Sony
Sony Corp. has experienced an even more profound growth in terms of its game sales and
membership subscriptions. Beginning in March 2020, Sony Games and Network Service has
earned $5.7 billion in revenue, a 32% increase year-on-year (See Figure 6). Overall, the company
has sold 112.3 million of its PS4 hardware units. Its featured service PlayStation Plus’ subscribers
reached 44.9 million by the end of June. Online active gamers increased 11%, reaching 113 million
by the end of the quarter (Sony, 2020).
Figure 6: Sony Corporate Report 2020
Sony PlayStation has always been known for its exclusive titles, mobile platform and cross-
gen games. The new console PS5 will feature higher screen resolution, take up less space, and
allow for more efficient storage (Sony, 2020). Advertised as a rival to Microsoft’s Xbox series and
10
a pioneer to introduce Sony’s next wave of TVs, PS5’s launch in November has certainly gained
a lot of attention and is projected to generate promising revenue for the company.
During the past few years, Sony Entertainment, the American subsidiary of the Sony Corp.
has been acquiring and investing in developers, such as Insomniac Games and Nevion to support
its worldwide studios roster and maintain the cloud-based production for all of its applications. In
July 2020, Sony invested $250 million in Epic Games, combining its leading entertainment
technology with Epic’s unique digital platform to improve the consumer and creator experience
(Peters, 2020).
11
Gamers’ Preferences
As stated, video games are one of the fastest growing industries in the United States,
generating billions of dollars every year. They have not only grown in popularity, but also in
diversity, including categories such as Shooters, Sports, Simulation Games, Fighting, Racing, etc.
Video games are no longer just a distinct category. They have become part of the mainstream
culture. In fact, they are gradually shaping the culture and collecting new followers along the way.
After years of development, video games have expanded to over 10 categories to reflect the
changes in peoples’ mindset. Based on the 2019 survey results from Statista, among the 5000
respondents, the most popular game genres were action and strategy (see Figure 7). Gamers,
because of their different genders, ages and backgrounds, often have different tastes towards
different game developers and genres.
12
Figure 7: Most Played Mobile Gaming Genres Worldwide In 2019
Genders makes a huge difference. ESA reported in 2013 that 58% of Americans play video
games, among which 55% were male and 45% were female. Males prefer shooters and sports
games, while females tend to play puzzle and simulation games (ESA, 2013). The difference
mainly results from different characteristics of the two genders. Women in general prefer to have
social interaction with other players, and they do not want anything violent or sexualized in the
content. Although feminism has been a factor since the beginning of the last century, today game
13
developers can really identify a woman’s characteristics from their gaming habits. Even in the
most competitive online games like League of Legends where gamers are supposed to strive for
greater achievements, females are motivated by interest instead of a sense of honor (ESA, 2019).
Most males use video games as excuses for avoiding chores and other family responsibilities,
whereas females tend to organize their game time perfectly so as not to interfere with daily lives
(ESA, 2013). There is no doubt that marketing a game to the male audience is easier than to females.
However, with more women engaging in the game industry by becoming players and game
developers, their preferences will be recognized during the research process and accommodated
for.
One can never treat the demographic of gamers as a homogenous group. From 10 to 80
years old, anyone can be a potential customer. The older generations have witnessed the origin and
rise of the videogame while the younger ones are born in a world where the game industry is
reaching its peak. Most of the games now are high quality, fully developed and cross-platform.
People who are aged 40 prefer Mario Series because it reminds them of the old happy times,
whereas GenZ and millennials are more interested in MMORPGs and e-sports competition
(Research and Markets, 2020). In the preference study conducted by Max et al. (2017), the samples
show a consistent pattern with the increase of age, player’s motivations, preferences, and
experiences shift from game performance and competition achievements to a focus on
entertainment, nostalgia and completion.
Players are motivated by different pursuits of a game; likewise, different genres of a game
can reflect a person’s inner self. Ryan et al. (2006) proposed self-determination theory (SDT) to
predict a gamer’s basic psychological needs, including competence, relatedness to reality life, and
a sense of autonomy. By identifying these differences in preferences, developers are able to
14
identify gamers’ gaming styles, patterns and spirits. For example, players who focus on rare
rewards and unattainable achievements tend to spend excessive amounts of time in front of a
particular game (Ryan, Rigby & Przybylski, 2006). They are also proud and serious about their
special talents in the real world. Those who like to socialize in real life often want their simulation
games to create a similar environment where they can cooperate and communicate. Adventure
games identify a person’s agreeableness and openness. They’re players that are generally
trustworthy, adventurous, and easily moved by sympathy. They seek for a perfect and unique
ending for their stories (Ryan, Rigby & Przybylski, 2006).
15
Chapter 2: Nintendo
Company Background
The Nintendo Company, Ltd. was founded in 1890 as Marufuku Company in Japan by
Fusajiro Yamauchi, originally producing Hanafuda card games. The characters chosen to make up
the company name—nin-ten-do—are understood as “We have to do whatever we have to do and
leave luck to heaven (Sheff, 1994).” With such belief and the rigid management structure
established by its president at the time Hiroshi Yamauchi, Fusajiro’s great-grandson, Nintendo
expanded into various lines of business, teamed with Mitsubishi, and went public in 1962. In 1977,
Nintendo built its first generation of home video game system Color TV Game.
Then Nintendomania went viral. Utilizing mature technology that can be mass-produced,
Nintendo's way of adapting technology gained international recognition after establishing a
subsidiary in New York City, and releasing the renewed version of its third-generation home video
game console Famicom, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The company focused on
popularizing its successful hardware products and developing new ones, such as Game Boy, NES,
Nintendo DS, Wii and Switch. Meanwhile, numerous games and franchises were released, such as
Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., Animal Crossing, the Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon.
As of March 31, 2020, Nintendo reported its annual financial statement, showing a total of
6,200 employees. Their net revenue and net income were $12 billion, up by 9% y-o-y, and $2.45
billion, up by 33% y-o-y respectively. The revenue growth was largely driven by an increase in
online sales volume of the consoles and games during the pandemic, especially in the United States
and Asia-Pacific area (Nintendo, 2020).
16
Statement of Problem and Opportunity Before COVID-19
As Nintendo grows to incorporate an even broader target market through continuous
launching of new consoles and updating new versions of games, the company hopes to maintain
the momentum and grow its share in the gaming market without being severely affected by the
recent technological advances in the gaming industry. Especially, as more tech giants are launching
their revolutionary upgrades to their traditional game consoles. The past few decades have
witnessed numerous successful advertising campaigns promoted by the company. From the early
days of "Play It Loud!", a sensational campaign aimed at Nintendo's core market of teenage boys
to the more open-ended "Who Are You?" campaign ($50 million in marketing) to promote
Nintendo's console and handheld systems (IGN Entertainment, 2003). Nintendo remains a
competitive game device manufacturer in the market along with Sony and Microsoft, without
offering the most powerful technology that can bring down the house, surpass other producers and
make the public determined to buy its products.
Nintendo’s success is based on being a company that always puts its customers first and
treats everyone equally and respectfully. Making everyone smile, gives Nintendo the opportunity
to maintain a large group of loyal customers worldwide that are not hesitant to purchase any
product the company launches. The epochal console the Nintendo Switch was released in 2017
which brought back a certain number of customers who had followed Sony’s PS4 and Microsoft
Xbox One since 2013 (Greenwald, 2019).
Since then, the Switch is seen as a widespread success. The product immediately sold out
at launch and was popular among all consumers. Switch has been the best-selling console in the
US for a record 25 consecutive months, setting an industry record according to market research
firm NPD Group (2020). However, Nintendo’s chief executive, Tatsumi Kimishima, wants to take
17
Nintendo properties to other devices. He said that he wasn’t satisfied with the initial results
(bringing in more than $50 million) of the smartphone game “Super Mario Run” because the
company had aimed to achieve a double-digit paying rate (Mochizuki, 2017). Though Nintendo
has conducted a series of brand repositioning attempts, from releasing hardcore games such as
Zelda to focusing on casual and health-oriented games devices such as WiiU and Switch, the
company’s market positioning is becoming obscure as more portable and mobile devices march
into the gaming industry. Most older core customers have lost interest in playing Mario’s series
over and over again (Mochizuki, 2017). The company, rather than resting on its glorious
achievements of the past, needs an opportunity to reintroduce to the public its “highest quality
authentic products” to create a “diversified customer experience” that can “put smiles on the faces
on the faces of everyone Nintendo touches.”
18
Nintendo SWOT Analysis
Strengths
● Rich Industry Experience: Nintendo has a 130-year history, originating from a card-
game company. It has been through the industry’s ups and downs. It has learned to
cater to different demographic customers’ needs and wants throughout the century.
With years of experience, Nintendo has developed a distinctive and authentic
company culture that attracts a steady group of fans to follow it (Webb, 2019).
● Brand Recognition: Unlike most of its competitors which were acquired, went
bankrupt or switched to other industries over the century, Nintendo is synonymous
with producing games and aims at expanding the gaming population base in the
future. It pays a lot of attention to researching and developing the best product that
satisfies the customers (see Appendix A).
● Various and Iconic Game Titles: From adventure to simulation, strategy, puzzles,
educational, sports, races, role-playing, and shooter, the company has set foot in
almost all game categories in the century, with each category having at least one
authentic game series invented by Nintendo.
● Widespread Distribution Network: From Kyoto to Shanghai, from New York to
Melbourne, Nintendo has established an extensive distribution channel since the
1980s. It sells through its own online and offline stores while distributing to both
high-end wholesalers and retailers (Grubb, 2020). In the first quarter of 2020,
Nintendo reported an increase in profits of 41% from selling its software online
(Nintendo, 2020).
19
● Affordable and Competitive Pricing: The prices of Nintendo’s products are not
attractive enough when the devices are initially launched. But the company has
adopted skim pricing, meaning that prices will drop as the products get accepted by
the audience to become more competitive compared to those of the competitors
(Bhasin, 2018). The price strategy helps the company to remain in the game against
the free-to-play mobile games and expensive VR settings.
● Diversified Segmentation: Since Nintendo has fewer independent entities in
different geographic regions (Kyoto, Frankfurt, and Redmond), it reduces the
business risk to a great extent and helps the parent company to learn local
demographics, market and industry trends and to put more effort into promotions
and advertisements in those more lucrative markets (Udea, 2018).
● Effective Marketing Strategy: After the poor sales performance of the WiiU,
Nintendo made timely adjustments to its marketing strategy of the New Nintendo
Switch, by addressing key features of rich content, portability, multiplayer, and
motion sensitivity (Evangelho, 2018). “Play this great content, anywhere, anytime
with anyone.”
● Strategic Partnerships: Over the years, Nintendo has partnered with numerous
gaming companies as well as tech and manufacturing companies such as Sega, Epic
Games, and Capcom to improve its game quality. This year, Nintendo entered the
film industry by establishing a tie-up with Disney, allowing players to use Disney
characters on Nintendo products to penetrate into a greater number of households
(MarketWatch, 2020).
20
Weaknesses
● Overreliance on Nintendo Switch: Last year, the handheld console earned $9.9
billion, equating to the revenue that Xbox made in 2018. The Switch sales make up
85% of Nintendo’s $10.8 billion in sales revenue as well as driving massive sales
of its games such as Super Smash Brothers (Strickland, 2019). If the Switch drops
as the most purchased console, the company will not have a safety net to fall into.
● Overdependence on Developed Economies: Depending on developed economies
can be a double-edged sword. It will certainly raise the awareness of the launch in
a mature market and drive revenue growth. But since Nintendo has subsidiaries in
countries and regions such as Australia, United States, and Europe, the stricter laws
and policies for games there for technology such as cloud gaming and streaming
platforms is fully developed to intensify the competition of earning market share
for traditional video game companies (Dreunen, 2019).
● Past Console Failure: The WiiU might be the company’s biggest failure over the
years because of its low quality, high price, inconsistent market strategy and
overhyped performance. This failure not only damaged the company’s financial
performance, business opportunities and promotions, it also negatively affected
Nintendo’s reputation and credibility (Herold, 2020).
● Inability to Meet Massive Demands: Though Nintendo has several branches and
factories worldwide, it didn’t respond well to the increased demand of the Switch
during the pandemic when billions of people were quarantined at home. The online
price might double or even triple for a single Switch, resulting in numerous web
21
scams which certainly harmed the company’s image, making the public question
the company’s ability to address their needs during adverse times (Kain, 2020).
● Lack of Innovation in Cloud and Subscription-Based Models: Nintendo isn’t
keeping up well enough with technological advancements like cloud gaming, VR
or network services. And it also needs to further enrich subscription services to
meet the industry’s level.
Opportunities
● Emerging Markets: Emerging markets like China, Latin America, the Middle East
region and Africa have become the main driver for gaming revenue growth over
the past several years (Li & Nussey, 2019). China is now the world’s second largest
video games market after the US.
● Trend to Mobile: By the end of 2019, the global mobile gaming market was valued
at $68.5 billion, accounting for 45% of the global gaming market (see Figure 8).
The mobile gaming market generated $77.2 billion in revenues in 2020 (see Figure
9), a growth of 13.3% y-o-y, and will continue to be the fastest growing game sector,
expected to bring in $95.4 billion by 2022 (Newzoo, 2020).
● Demographic Changes: With games entering every household, young children,
older seniors, women, nearly everyone has become potential customers of gaming
companies. But female gamer is a demographic most video game companies have
overlooked or put little emphasis on (Bhasin, 2018).
22
Figure 8: 2019 Global Games Market Per Device & Segment with Year-on-Year Growth Rates
Figure 9: 2020 Global Games Market Per Device & Segment with Year-on-Year Growth Rates
23
Threats
● Severe Competition: From Xbox to PlayStation, Apple, Amazon, Google, Ubisoft,
Activision, Sega, from traditional video games to PCs, VR, cloud gaming, more
companies with technological advantages are joining to capture the market share.
No permanent enemies or friends, only permanent interests.
● Ongoing Health Concern: Though the World Health Organization highlights that
games are good for mental health and contribute to stop the spread of COVID-19,
video game addiction is still associated with a cause of mental disorder and diseases
like obesity (Canales, 2020). After the pandemic, most parents are still going to
encourage their children to engage in outdoor activities rather than video games.
● Changes in Preferences: As previously stated, more people, especially young
children who used to be the main target audience of console game companies, are
moving towards smartphone or tablet games. And Nintendo’s target market is
declining in areas like Europe, where communities are aging, with the number of
youth declining (Kuzmanovic, 2019). In this case, Nintendo hasn’t developed a
mature mobile marketing and manufacturing strategy to cope with this shift.
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Demographic Shift and Audience Psychology
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak starting in January 2020, social activities have been
restrained in many countries, causing travel to be prohibited, factories to be shut down, businesses
to be sluggish, and people’s psychological states to suffer. Especially in developed regions like
North America, East Asia, and Europe, instead of enjoying a normal work and life balance that is
the norm, people start to feel desperate about the future environment, and whether the virus will
be curbed anytime soon.
According to the 2020 survey conducted by IPSOS (see Figure 10), countries in which at
least 80% of the respondents report they are self-quarantine include Spain (95%), France (90%),
Russia (85%), the United States and India (84%).
Individuals who were able to travel and communicate freely are forced to cut off their
physical connections with the outside world and be socially isolated, which links to feelings of
pervasive anxiety, stress, uncertainty, loneliness, frustration, and depression. Thus, just like how
people used to manage these issues, they start to look for something positive in life, to keep a
Figure 10: Defining Isolation
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normal schedule filled with online chatting and obtaining information or simply escape from
reality if necessary. They need support, and the reality for many is that the only strong support
they have comes from their families during this time.
As previously stated, 45% of the American spend more time playing games online after
the outbreak (Statista, 2020). Addressing their fundamental base needs, games such as HALO,
Call of Duty not only provide the gamers with the exciting and refreshing experience to kill the
time, but fulfills a sense of belonging featured with mind stimulation and social cooperation
through only multi-player engagement (ESA, 2017).
Based on the NPD report (2020) on the COVID-19-driven gaming trends, among the 244
million people who play some amount of video games, two out of five are light gamers, spending
less than 5 hours a week playing games; one in three are moderate gamers, around 5 to 15 hours,
and 20% play more than 15 hours per week.
At the moment, the pandemic has cultivated some real “professional” gamers who will
subscribe to a game-related service, watch the gaming-related content online, use more than one
type of gaming device, and participate in the Esports tournament (NPD, 2020). These people have
already acquired a completely new outlook to deal with the difficult situation, which is what the
gaming companies are delighted to see.
Strategic Insights
“Putting smiles on everyone we touch.” With that purpose being said, Nintendo has been
in the industry for over 130 years, pivoting its marketing strategy hundreds of times. This time, it
allows the company to surpass any other game or tech competitors with the right timing, right
social context and right audience.
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With billions of people being quarantined at home, the timing for Nintendo to launch new
games has never been more perfect. The SK consulting group study (see Figure 11) showed that
there has been a 39% increase in the amount of money consumers spend monthly on games, an
11% increase in time spent gaming, and a 42% increase in video game streaming during May and
June versus pre-COVID-19, which is consistent across nearly all age and gender groups. This trend
marks that the game industry is one of the few industries that actually benefit hugely from the
pandemic (Simon, Kucher & Partners, 2020). Furthermore, it gets much easier for companies to
cooperate and find strategic partnerships across multiple platforms to launch their promotions and
take the lead across all sectors because only through collaboration can businesses maintain
operation during the crisis.
Figure 11: Gamers Around the World are Spending More Time and Money on Video Games during the COVID-19 Crisis
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Though video games are often related to bad things such as addiction, testiness, and
mindlessness, playing games has never been more right under the current social context. People
have already experienced high levels of annoyance and depression, and they are in desperate need
of an approach to relieve their anxiety, to feel the excitement in life, and to escape from the reality.
Especially in the United States where this administration unexpectedly does exactly the opposite
to what the public hopes for, leaving each individual to care for his or her own safety. Consumers
need a leader with ambition, patience, and ingenuity to guide them through the most difficult time.
Nintendo, with its consumer-centric company culture, can be the one.
Why not other gaming companies? Throughout the years, Nintendo has not only
established a widespread network across the six continents to distribute to the world its excellence
innovation, but also left an approachable and caring impression in the public’s mind, advocating
for family ties and social cohesion. Most of the games convey a message of happiness, comfort
and a sense of belonging, without much killing and blood. When you see PlayStation, you think
of its multiplayer shooting game. When you see Xbox, you think of its convenient subscription
service and high-definition screen display. But today’s consumers are more anxious than ever.
What they need is something that can bring them back to the socially connected life, helping them
escape from the pain and create their own fantasy. The Doom series will certainly provide the boys
with the adrenalin they look for, but that does not fit all generations and genders. Nintendo, again,
wins the day.
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Chapter 3: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Background
The Animal Crossing series, created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami, has existed
for about two decades since its first release in 2001. According to the NPD statistics, the five
editions of Animal Crossing have sold over 40 million units worldwide, with the fifth edition on
the Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, making a $1 billion net income (10.6
million-unit sales). The new edition, which was released last March when the quarantine began,
helping Nintendo’s operating profit jump 428% year-on-year, is by far the most popular Animal
Crossing game by a big margin (Grubb, 2020).
Animal Crossing adopts a 24-hour concept based on the real-time clock (RTC) system,
which provides the real-life and personal approach that the series is known for. The creator,
Katsuya Eguchi, made the game to remind people of the importance of spending time with the
people they care about (Mental Floss UK, 2018). From the country setting to the beautiful island,
from N64 to Switch, Animal Crossing has been crafted perfectly in terms of image quality,
portability, instantaneity and game experience to fit into today’s global game industry. Everything
from bugs, to fossils, to fish, to plants are designed with an inclusive and multicultural market in
mind.
The new edition New Horizons was released this March instead of the original date in last
October because Nintendo wanted to make some final adjustments to ensure the game to be 100%
perfect for all the audiences (Nintendo, 2020). Nevertheless, the delay has accidentally made the
game and the company a huge hit during the pandemic, one of the few nice things that occurred in
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2020. The success is not a coincidence, but it closely relates to Nintendo’s original vision of the
game: Family, Friendship, and Community.
Current Demographics
Animal Crossing, judging from the results, is a “system seller”, indicating that the launch
of each series will bring people to buy the console solely for the game. Demographics play a huge
role in business and communication, so it is essential and interesting to recognize Animal
Crossing’s impact on the market and its target audience.
The Nintendo’s investor meeting in the 2019/2020 fiscal year stated that the Switch’s
purchaser not only includes male users aged 16 to 34, but also women aged 19 to 24, who are also
some of the core users of mobile games. The former CEO, Satoru Iwata, made an interesting
comparison in an interview in which he stated that the 3DS core users consisted of 69% male and
31% female, but the proportion of people who bought Animal Crossing: New Leaf (last version)
together with 3DS was 56% female and 44% male. (Siliconera, 2020). It has totally shifted the
opinion that female users are only keen on smartphone games instead of consoles. Furthermore,
the third largest group playing the game was children aged 10 through 12 (NPD, 2020). Games
like Animal Crossing can indeed help a game company to expand the diversity of consumers
including women and children and widen opportunities for game play.
The launch of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons has further expanded the company’s
demographics. The game not only attracts nostalgic players who have followed and grown up with
the series since the first release but is considered as a fairyland where everyone can communicate,
share and escape into. One of the Animal Crossing developers, Katsuya Eguchi stated, the game
nearly reached “every person who has a family, friends, boyfriend or girlfriend, who wants to play
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merrily with them.” (Fashion Industry Broadcast, 2020), which is consistent with Nintendo’s goal
to create fun experiences and put smiles on everyone it touches.
What New Horizons?
The new series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 13.41 million units (see Figure 12)
in the first six weeks on sale, surpassing Switch’s previous fastest-selling launch Pokémon Sword
and Shield, 12.9 million in the first nine weeks. According to the company’s report, it also outsold
the first four Animal Crossing launches including Wild World and New Leaf. The game also made
Nintendo Switch the Japanese company’s third bestselling console, and will continue to bring
tremendous profits to Nintendo’s revenue growth (Robinson, 2020).
Figure 12: Nintendo Report on Animal Crossing Series Comparative Sell-Through
Besides the coincidence with the delay of the launch date, the game has its unique features
that distinguish it from other competitors and becomes the No. 1 most talked-about game in the
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world during the pandemic. Based on the primary research (see Appendix A: Interview and
Appendix B: Focus Group) and secondary research (NPD 2020 Entertainment Report & NPD
Market Research), there’s no such thing as luck but numerous work and research behind the
success.
Built for Longevity
This new version is designed thoughtfully, providing a visually stunning and engaging
gameplay experience for the old customers as well as new ones. One of the biggest selling points
is that it is a real time-killer during the pandemic. Most of the past simulation games or life games
have a basic setting with 50-80 hours content, a well-written storyline and an achievement system
(Hillier, 2020). As long as players finish all the required tasks, the game is also finished, with less
intention to start over.
The New Horizons is different and designed to stand for longevity. Players can do all the
things just like living their lives. First, you get a small tent as well as other two computer-controlled
residents on the deserted island. Then, you can start designing and creating everything based on
your own pace. You can catch bugs, go fishing, collect shells and minerals, make exchanges to
earn points, decorate the living space, and chat with your neighbors and friends through the airport.
At first, you cannot feel the sense of accomplishment given the limited tasks you can do. But once
you acclimate and receive assistance from your neighbors, those small victories like finally paying
off the first loan, will make you feel excited and confident about going onto a new day to solve a
new challenge.
As a result, the system encourages you to check back into the game on a daily basis.
Collecting materials or cutting trees will become one of your habits. Sometimes, players can’t wait
to wake up the next morning to check the new creatures and updates. You might get so intrigued
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to gain the new recipe to make new lasting tools, from fishing rods, to nets that can catch bugs,
that forces you to ask for help from your friends who have been on the island long enough, which
will boost multiplayer communication during the pandemic. However, you can also decide to
solely move forward slowly just like waking up in the morning and checking your progress without
knowing the upcoming challenges. Many players have incorporated the game into their daily
routines, especially when they can continue to discover new features about living on the island
from day to day instead of getting bored of the quarantine life staying at home (see Appendix B).
This daily fresh feeling will further open up opportunities for the content creation and updates,
enlarge marketing campaigns, and extend future brand collaborations.
Players might also find that they are only scratching the surface of discovering the island
even if they’ve been in and out the game multiple times a day. Unlike those FPS or action games
that force you to quit after being defeated hundreds of times, users are able to enjoy this new
relaxing living experience online by just wandering on the island and looking at dinosaur skeletons
and butterflies. Switch owners are playing the game as avidly as ever, more than just downloading
the game, playing it for a month and uninstalling. Partly due to the pandemic restrictions, the game
is placed as a new long-term way of entertainment (Hillier, 2020). Players are enjoying the
experience on the island for real and imagining their worry-free retired life rather than merely
finding a solution to pass the time. The game’s features win the hearts of all.
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Brand Positioning
Animal Crossing has a brand positioning that resonates well within the social context of
the global pandemic. Nintendo made it easily accessible by appealing to all generations, genders,
and nationalities. It helps friends and family stay connected. And it is inclined to be more relaxing
than competitive which is a perfect approach to escape from reality and hep you regain the control
over life.
Generally, Nintendo targets young users in the 18 to 34 year old age group (Medium, 2020).
Animal Crossing has expanded that scope and made a universal appeal that traverses the
conventional game barriers of age, gender and language, which typically focus on the exciting and
bloody gameplay themes like FPS or adventure. The simple syntax, colorful design and easy
control system ensure casual gamers or green hands to all frictionlessly participate in the game and
keep pace with the game process. With a feature of inclusiveness and higher degree of
customization, the game will certainly attract more eyes.
Animal Crossing is established for unity of family and friends (Nintendo). Its PEGI rating
is 3+, which basically includes all ages of people, making it an ideal approach for family gatherings
during the dreary quarantine life. The multiplayer functionality, as Nintendo has been always
promoting throughout the company’s history, makes it approachable in a wider gameplay. Instead
of competing for a place on the leaderboard or defeating each other in a battle, Animal Crossing is
a cooperative game, which allows for trading and sharing of items. For example, up to eight
different people can “live” on the same island, and users are encouraged to visit their friends’
islands for exchanges and communication. Thus, in order to grow the collection and beautifully
decorate an ideal house, you need to cooperate and rely on the assistance of others, boosting a
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sense of solidarity and community to a great extent. It has become an epochal game that promotes
social progress (Hillier, 2020).
Animal Crossing also hits some psychological buttons. It helps you feel in control about
your own life while providing an alternative to escape from the current unrest. Psychologists,
Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, developed the Self-Determination Theory in the 1980s,
suggesting that most behaviors are driven by intrinsic forms of motivation rather than external
motivation (Ryan & Deci, 1985). The internal motivation is founded on three basic human needs:
autonomy, competence and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2000). If a game that’s easy to access and
engage in, provides you with freedom to exert control over the process, and allows you to interact
with other players meaningfully, then it is going to be very popular (Ryan, Rigby & Przybylski,
2006).
Most of the respondents from the focus group stress the significance of the game’s feature
of escapism and freedom. While the game takes place in a virtual world, users still have to make
decisions and meet goals, which helps arouse a sense of continuity. Players often find themselves
pondering that even though their daily routine is disrupted right now, at least they can continue
with their lives in this game.
Anthropomorphic animals and a serene island combined with a pleasant jazzy soundtrack
provide a relaxing game experience for everyone. Players don’t need to worry about rewards or
the leveling up nature of a game. It is totally fine and will not ruin the game experience if a player
wants to spend all the time fishing and collecting fossils. Unlike real life, there is no one forcing
you to do what’s being right. The idea is to let you have a fanciful view towards the world.
Whenever you are on the island, you are offered something to look forward to, and that’s truly a
relief and an escape from the frustration and complexity of the real world.
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Nostalgia Marketing
From N64 to NES, Gameboy, 3DS, and Switch, Nintendo has integrated a dose of nostalgia
into every launch of the console and game that appeals to the audience that grew up with the
company (Hillier, 2020). Over the years, Nintendo has reinvigorated the previous franchise in new
versions multiple times. One of the key Nintendo marketing strategies is to capture imaginations
of multiple generations, which makes the gamers want to come back for more nostalgic games like
Zelda, Mario and Animal Crossing.
Everyone wants to reminisce about a product or a feeling from their years growing up. It’s
the feeling that’s created by the product that always matters. Emotion gets people excited and
motivated because they want to hold that comfort as long as possible. Nintendo might be the only
gaming company that has products that were beloved years ago and can be successfully
reinvigorated (Hillier, 2020). It effectively balances the old and new product, giving the old one a
modern twist.
Especially in the current state, which is complicated and uncomfortable, consumers need
nostalgia more than ever. Since Nintendo has had the vision of a united community for decades,
creating numerous campaigns, visuals and advertisements to promote that message, more gamers
will turn to the company for the established purpose. And they will return to those games that will
make their lives simpler.
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User-Generated Content
In this social media age, there has been a tremendous quantity of user-generated content
surrounding the game industry, especially when it comes to Animal Crossing during the pandemic.
Nintendo has been known for its user-oriented marketing strategy of always relating the game to
people’s life, which is deeply rooted in the company’s DNA.
Emerging social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube have become major sources
of delivering user-generated content (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2021). From tutorials to updated
instructions, and well-decorated island tours, videos related to the game become a must-do option
for every gamer of Animal Crossing, through which they can communicate with mature players,
exchange the experience, and get creative. As of the end of October 2020, TikTok posts tagged
with #animalcrossing had a total of 3.2 billion views. The number of the same posts on the Chinese
version reached 1.7 billion (TikTok, 2020).
Many celebrities, influencers, even politicians have also been actively posting their
experiences of and progress on the game through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram. For example, US house representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in her tweet
interacted with other US citizens and signed their in-game bulletin boards through virtual “house
calls”. Gary Whitta, a video game journalist, has attracted many huge names, including Reggie
Fils-Aime, Naomi Kyle, and Raquel Lily to his talk show Animal Talking on Twitch (NintendoLife,
2020).
Celebrities and regular consumers are alike on this topic. Animal Crossing encourages such
exchanges and communications, which boosts the game’s visibility, involving audiences that
would not have necessarily been reached by the company in the first place. And due to the
pandemic and quarantine, social media activity and content consumption have skyrocketed which
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has further increased the scope (Samet, 2020). Nintendo probably has invested in a few paid media
buys, but most of its content is spread through word-of-mouth props to the good timing and social
context.
Animal Crossing has created even more demand for the derivative product than what was
originally planned at launch. The Switch console had been out of stock for nearly a month on the
American Continent. The company is even forced to crack down some illegal operations on eBay
where “creators” sell villagers and ideal items to those enthusiasts and earn a fortune (Hiller, 2020).
Media Coverage
Nintendo has got all the media’s attention since the launch of Animal Crossing. Through
the paid, earned, shared and owned media, Nintendo adheres to the audience’s interests by
including the conversation around Animal Crossing in a manner that transcends to popular culture
by framing the game in a way that contributes to a historic moment of Nintendo’s timeline through
multiple media platforms. According to what Stephen Jones (Golin’s EVP, acting for Nintendo)
provided during the interview (see Appendix A), the launch of Animal Crossing had more than
1,300 unique stories with 10 billion impressions on the earned media. It presents the message in a
wise, warm and relatable tone that everyone is unable to hold himself or herself back from sharing
online about their islands.
From YouTube and Amazon Prime TV advertisements to Influencers’ active promotion on
social media, shareable hashtag likes #animalcrossing to encourage conversations online, and
creative YouTube and TikTok videos surrounding tutorials, system updates, and experience
exchanges, Animal Crossing has become an unprecedented phenomenon in the gaming industry
that’s embedded in today’s environment (see Appendix A). Once Animal Crossing becomes much
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bigger through word of mouth, the momentum can grow on its own. There has been a broader
media coverage, not only including gaming media, but more mainstream media like New York
Times, Bloomberg tend to join. Media outlets write about it organically. The more media who
write about it, the more media who want more information about it, and the more attention and
coverage the company will get.
But there's more to it than meets the eye. Like many popular games including Minecraft,
the Sims, Animal Crossing was used by political activists and politicians to create awareness for
their concerns. For example, a Black Lives Matter activist has created a monument on an island
with portraits of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black victims of police violence
(Schofield, 2020). The Democratic candidate’s campaign seeks to reach out to voters by allowing
users to visit the Biden island (see Figure 13), which has poll booths. Though a gaming company
doesn’t want to be considered as too much related to politics, Nintendo certainly gains a lot of eyes
and profits from those moves even though the company would not have expected such a big
following trend of Animal Crossing (Kelly, 2020).
Figure 13: Biden’s Island on Animal Crossing
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New Possibilities
Nintendo’s marketing department was forced to think of new ways to execute marketing
strategies targeting various groups of audiences in the past months (Hillier, 2020). Due to the
lockdowns of multiple enterprises which cut off the previous abundant communication media and
tightened the budgets for advertisements and promotions, it was extremely difficult for the
company to maintain normal operation of the supply chain to gain as much profit as possible.
However, the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons became a global phenomenon, presenting
a new opportunity not only for Nintendo but also for various brands across different industries to
participate in this global trend.
Beyond the game feature of emphasizing on customization, Animal Crossing is currently
one of the best platforms for online hype since players are allowed to share screencaps from the
game on social media, which makes Instagram accounts which have millions of followers such as
@AnimalCrossingFashionArchive, @CrossingTheRunway into social media stars overnight. The
game’s social media networks, currently free for brands to join in, were part of the company’s
marketing strategy for creative players to showcase their designs (Bauck, 2020). It was a prime
chance to bridge gaming, fashion, lifestyle and nearly every industry sector.
Fashion brands like Valentino, Marc Jacobs (see Figure 14) and Sandy Liang presented
their virtual runway collections on the game in the form of downloadable outfits for players, any
of the estimated 11 million people worldwide, to wear for free. Players can use QR codes to dress
their characters in high-end attire and choose to purchase clothes to wear in real life. The traditional
fashion forum and fashion week then began adapting to the virtual playing field, boasting a
younger and ultra-engaged global audience (Hobbs, 2020).
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Figure 14: Marc Jacobs Runaway Collections on Animal Crossing
Online artists are more than pleased to see their designs become part of somebody else’s
experience. They have been using the in-game pixel art design tool to create virtual clothes for
years. For example, the Animal Crossing Fashion Archive has invented a pixelated knockoff
market, reproducing real pieces from Supreme, Chanel and Gucci, and shared them within the
islander community through online codes. 100 Thieves designers worked to bring the entire
apparel line to the game and did an amazing job, especially on the pieces that needed to be adjusted
to accommodate what was possible in-game, loved by millions of fans across all platforms
(Deighton, 2020).
Meanwhile, KFC Philippines, partnering with Ogilvy, jointly launched virtual versions of
its restaurants on various islands on the game. It also released an exclusive QR code, allowing
users to meet a villager on one of the islands who dressed as Colonel Sanders and provided coupon
codes for free meals that can be redeemed in real life (Hiller, 2020).
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Last but not least, leisure brands were also trying to redefine tourism marketing, which has
been severely impacted due to the pandemic. Singapore’s Sentosa Island worked with creative
agency BBH Singapore to create a virtual replica of this “peaceful and tranquil” resort in just two
weeks (Hiller, 2020). The digital platform just made it much easier for leisure destinations to
connect with guests worldwide and raise brand awareness to jump on this global trend. Though
there is no official partnership between Nintendo and Sentosa, it has created marketing
opportunities for both industry sectors to rethink about their future promotions to reach a wider
audience and boost the overall experience.
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Chapter 4: PR and Marketing Insights
Timing Matters
A good timing to release a product is only half of the recipe for success, and it’s not just
for the gaming industry. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was launched on March 20, 2020, at the
peak of global pandemic, which was supposed to be a tough time for most businesses -- but not
for Nintendo. It is easy, simple and nonlinear. It targets a younger demographic. It doesn’t require
one to perform any mental gymnastics. It is not stressful. Though the initial day of release was
delayed from last year to this March, the timing seems almost like a setup, a perfect match for the
quarantine life.
The lesson is to investigate what people in the community really want instead of waiting
for another pandemic or capitalizing on other people’s bad news. Companies ought to provide the
best fit products or services at the right time. In this case, Nintendo has always been dedicated to
discovering its customers’ urgent needs and reflecting them in the game it produced.
And it is not always about a successful launch of a campaign or products at a perfect time.
It can be anything, from sponsoring local events to actively engaging in the holidays and weekends
vibe, diving deep into the industry trend, the potential market and the world affairs, reaching a
wider audience and market, and taking advantage of every opportunity that a company is provided
with.
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Simplified Purchase Path and Accessible Product
While the pandemic has driven the sales of video games overall, Animal Crossing is one
of the few games that are also accessible for non-gamers. The game’s appeal is easy to understand,
and the genre is rather cooperative and communal than competitive, which fits exactly well with
the social context of positively interacting with friends and family.
Besides the convenient and portable feature of the console, the game also promises a
relaxing virtual environment with characters that are welcoming and cute, which appeals to the
audiences’ biological and psychological disposition towards childlike characteristics and nostalgia.
With tutorials and promotion videos being widely and readily spread, everyone can learn to play,
exchange gaming experiences and interact with those in the community.
During the worst time in the past few decades, consumers are adapting to the new normal,
forming new habits, and facing tons of information through social media. It is critical that brands
and companies make their purpose and value clear and ensure the product is easy to use and always
accessible, and the purchase path is simple enough through conveying PR and marketing messages
guided by their purpose and insights to improve the overall customer experience.
Synergize Brand and Product Marketing
Nintendo succeeds in identifying the synergies between Animal Crossing as a game and
the Nintendo brand, which resonates with current trends. The Nintendo name inspires nostalgia
among GenX and Millennials when customers are looking for nostalgia as a source of comfort.
Users have some sense of brand identity and loyalty with the company and relate to being a
member of this big family.
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Despite Animal Crossing, Nintendo has offered some of the popular games on Switch that
are also built off of the same “Nintendo” titles: Zelda, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. Gamers
along with non-gamers tend to trust that they’ll be comfortable playing the Nintendo games.
Nintendo has also invested in creating an inclusive game of multi-generation to build the brand
equity and share of heart, which is paying off during such a critical time (Smyth, 2020).
Nintendo has long known that synergizing products with the brand and making its
properties longstanding can make customers fall in love with the brand and earn their trust over
the long term. In today’s market, it’s not only about selling the best products, but more about
looking for ways to build these synergies, selling a good story, and setting achievable goals to
reach consumer expectations and address their most urgent needs.
Understand Your Customers and Offer Diverse Options
One thing that differentiates Animal Crossing from other games is that the game provides
a high level of customization. From custom clothing to installations and institutions, customized
content creation, users can design whatever they want for their homes, museums and islands. They
can visit each other’s places, complete tasks if they are in the mood, and choose from a wide range
of activities in their isolated paradises.
Nowadays, people want a sense of belonging, a need for appeal, security and exploration.
They want choices. They want their emotions to be liberated and connected. Both a sense of control
and a sense of freedom are provided in the game, which on the contrary are severely limited in real
life.
COVID-19 has impacted every industry, resulting in supply chain shortages, unexpected
shifts in supply and demand, and limited options for shuttered businesses. In this case, Nintendo
makes every effort to customize and diversify the product offering, even subtle changes can make
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a difference. Especially in an era when most people are exposed to all the news and information
on social media, consumers want a wider range of options to choose from. They want to make the
best decision (Smyth, 2020). In the meantime, the pandemic has also opened a gate for the
companies that some audiences might be more probable to pay for new features and special
upgrades that they wouldn’t have otherwise considered. They might be more willing to explore
and enjoy the process of exploration. Thus, it’s the responsibility of each brand to highlight these
key new features and lead the customers to be on the path to purchase.
Listen Carefully and Act Quickly
The launch of Animal Crossing wasn’t that plain and smooth. There were some pretty
major issues. There were some system imbalances and duplication glitches in the game process.
And as previously mentioned, the game has prompted a virtual black market for users to illegally
trade and sell items. Some system updates will come with a few bugs that law breakers can take
advantage of. But Nintendo resolves these issues quickly and puts out patch notes for players to
review. They categorize each system's error in levels and try to prioritize those urgent issues that
seriously disrupt gamers’ online experience.
Since the release of the game, the sales of the console have also been driven to a peak point
when Switch is out of stock in many regions including the most profitable ones like the United
States and China. At some point, the price almost doubled. However, due to the lockdowns caused
by COVID-19, many manufacturing factories were forced to shut down which severely impacted
the distribution of the consoles and the game, which has disappointed many of its loyal customers.
Although receiving many critics about the console stockout, Nintendo did everything to
fill that vacancy, and truly listens to what the customers want through online feedback and social
media and prioritizes based on their response. The Nintendo Support Forums was well established
46
so that every useful feedback is timely reflected in the company’s after sale service and future
marketing strategies (Smyth, 2020). The response is tracked, and the issues are solved respectively.
Before starting to put resources towards addressing every negative feedback, Nintendo also
ensures that it’s a pervasive issue that affects the majority of the customers and formulates fine-
tuned decisions to reach their expectations.
Marketing the Process Not the Results
The perception of time as a commodity has changed significantly. For the first in the recent
decades, most people are trying to fill time rather than save time. They are looking for the
satisfaction of starting a new process than finishing one. Animal Crossing is just the perfect
platform to fulfilling that need, from decorating homes to visiting pirates and upgrading islands.
The tasks are never-ending.
GenZ and Millennials take a large proportion of the current gaming market. They are prone
to interactive processes and experiences, so a new and fun way for them to engage with the
products is necessary, especially when the current climate has limited ways for customers to
experience new things (Jankowski, 2020). Nintendo, along with many other gaming companies,
extend their businesses to paid, earned, shared and owned media, providing directions and recipes
through videos and online content to intrigue more customers to join the big trend. In addition to
building the most beautiful island, more players are keen on the process of learning, exchanging,
sharing and communicating. Animal Crossing together with Nintendo have created a culture that
sweeps across the globe, recognized by more and more potential customers.
47
Chapter 5: Future Proposals
Post Pandemic Outlook
Nintendo is one of the most successful companies that actually benefited from this global
crisis. It is certainly the most popular company in the gaming industry, generating millions in
revenues and appealing to millions of gamers and non-gamers worldwide. But its prosperity is
attributed to the company’s long-established brand purpose and the perfect release time of Animal
Crossing: New Horizons. To maintain the momentum created through the pandemic and not just
be seen as a one-time success story tied to the quarantine, Nintendo should stay relevant to the
many new audiences it has attracted to keep them as consumers for the long term, and keep
addressing its longtime sense of purpose of putting smiles on people’s faces.
It is obvious that many students and workers will adapt to the new normal of keeping a
long-distance work and study habit after the pandemic, with students adopting an asynchronous
learning, and less people going to the office and work remotely. Nintendo should continue to
conduct consumer research to know how people really feel about the new normal and how they
associate themselves with the new environment: What are the new basic needs for them? How do
they manage their social life? Is Switch or Animal Crossing still able to arouse the same attention
in different social contexts? What will the competitive environment look like in the year 2021 or
three years later? Will it be more challenging than ever to vie for consumer attention given the
upcoming launch of next-generation systems by Sony and Microsoft and the involvement of tech
giants in the VR industry? Figuring out the answers to these questions will help Nintendo adjust
its marketing strategy and make immediate adjustments to this ever-changing world.
48
Console and System Development
Nintendo saw its operating profits skyrocket 428% in the first quarter of the 2020 fiscal
year. Sales of the Switch and the New Switch Lite which was released last September increased
167% to 5.68 million units in the quarter (Browne, 2020). Other than continuing to update versions
of its titles like Animal Crossing, Super Mario Brothers, and Pokémon, Nintendo needs to look
more into enhancing the gameplay experience rather than the “speeds and feeds”, so as not to be
affected by the PlayStation 5 and the upcoming new XBOX Series X.
In addition, the new model and games should complement its integrated business DNA
through continuing to provide happiness and pleasure. Nintendo should aim to create experiences
that will appeal to people than span generations -- just as the company has in the past by creating
a positive cycle even in the new business environment. The Nintendo Philosophy should be
reemphasized while being marketed:
• Deepen the relationship based on interactive game experiences
• Design favorite characters and make the attachment personal
• Take great care of the consumers’ image and feelings towards the brand
• Drive the general interest in the games that features Nintendo’s mission
• Continue to focus on the overall quality of game experience rather than overexposure
49
Leverage Business Cooperation
Throughout the years, Nintendo has established itself as a company that welcomes business
cooperation and brand integration by turning competitors into business partners (Huse, 2010).
From Sega to Disney, Tencent, Epic Games, Nintendo has long known that a strategic partnership
can benefit all parties and helping each other move forward is the best approach to cope with a
global crisis. Besides expanding the game portfolio, Nintendo can take advantage of its ties with
elite companies in other industries to further expand the company’s business scope.
For example, Nintendo entered into the mobile games market through launching Super
Mario Run (2016), Fire Emblem Heroes (2017) and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (2017) with
its development partner DeNA as a strategy to conform to the growth in the mobile gaming market
in the early 2010s, and as a means of introducing its new franchise properties to mobile players
(Smyth, 2020).
However, things have changed in 2020 and the market demands more under the pandemic.
Nintendo should be looking for something that no one else is working on (Blue Ocean Strategy)
to make it more distinctive. Digi-Capital made a forecast that augmented reality and virtual reality
could hit 150 billion, disrupting the dominance of mobile gaming by the end of 2020, with AR
taking the lion’s share at 80% and VR at 20% (Merel, 2015), which has been proved accurate
according to Statista (2020). Facebook and Sony have already started marketing their VR
franchises as potential games machines. Microsoft and others are pushing the AR’s computing
potential to make it broadly accessible to consumers. Nintendo should follow this market trend,
step into this blue ocean and bridge smart devices with dedicated video game hardware to
revolutionize the game experience, which corresponds to its history of reinventing itself and
challenging the status quo. The competition must be severe, but with its cross-industry partnerships
50
and its faith to build a harmonious world both virtually and practically, Nintendo is fearless and
capable of entering a brand-new market and contributing to the technology development.
Strengthen Purpose
The Nintendo website writes that the company is actively building a culture where all its
employees are being represented and respected and that Nintendo is for everyone. However,
Nintendo as a gaming company avoids diversity issues with the games. They don’t speak about it,
which might make some consumers think ill of their business model — the “manifesto”
contradicting with the company’s established purpose.
For example, in 2014, one of Nintendo’s Sims-ish life simulator, Tomodachi life, was
criticized for not allowing same-sex relationships. Instead of fixing that mistake, Nintendo released
what was viewed as a tone-deaf statement on the issue. “Nintendo never intended to make any
form of social commentary with the launch of ‘Tomodachi Life’. We hope that all of our fans will
see that 'Tomodachi Life' was intended to be a whimsical and quirky game, and that we were
absolutely not trying to provide social commentary.” Their logic didn’t add up, contradicting the
company’s efforts in such issues, which has irritated many of the fans (Tassi, 2020).
Being a socially responsible company that cares about the well-being of all, Nintendo
hasn’t addressed such social issues as diversity and inclusion, especially when activism and
speaking out for minorities have been so intense. Nintendo can integrate some of the brand equity
and inclusion element in its games, as a start to engage in social affairs, and to stick to its
commitment to all the citizens. In such simulation games, players can choose their characters of
different genders other than just male or female. They can also display BLM T-shirts in the shop
on the island.
51
Nintendo has grown into a global company. In areas like Europe and America where these
issues can arouse heated discussion and relate to billions of people’s basic needs, Nintendo should
step out of its comfort zone and become a truly global company that contributes to the social
movements today. Focusing on Diversity and Inclusion could be a more successful competitive
strategy than competing on technology with other tech giants.
52
Chapter 6: Conclusion
Central to the thesis’ question has been the study of Nintendo’s marketing strategy during
one of the most difficult times in human history, and how the company compared to other large
competitors is able to benefit from its long-established strengths and purpose and launch the most
successful game which fits perfect with the social context.
The thesis argues that Animal Crossing: New Horizons conforms to Nintendo’s company
culture of making every consumer feel happy, represented and respected. The game perfectly fits
the brand and distinguishes the company from other competitors. It is more than a reality-escaping
game. It has created a new gaming culture that combines a sense of belonging that brings people
together and manages to fulfill people’s psychological needs during the worst times.
Unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo still takes the lead in the video game industry for
hand-held consoles. The company, instead of focusing on developing complicated hardware to
compete with PS5 or Xbox in areas of image quality and game size, should rely on its brilliant
working team, managerial process, stable relationships with consumers and business partners.
They should leverage continuous innovation to keep improving the game experience of their
released consoles, integrating social trends into the company’s culture and stepping into the blue
ocean of creating new gameplay experiences for all users.
Nintendo products have changed the way we look at video games today, certainly in a
positive manner. The author believes that given the past success and the experience of overcoming
every difficulty brought by the times, Nintendo can learn valuable lessons and continue to build
on its unique corporate purpose to spread the company’s philosophy to influence an even greater
audience.
53
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Appendices
Appendix A: Interview with Stephen Jones (Golin’s EVP)
1. From your perspective, what do you think of the current gaming industry? Is it healthy? Is it
too competitive? Is the market saturated or still under development?
S: It’s quite healthy. Looking for financial performance data. NPD measures the US market and
industry trend. The gaming market net revenue saw a 10% growth in September.
2. Many people consider playing games as a bad habit. As a gaming company, what measures
does Nintendo gradually take to adjust that stereotype to make it accepted and welcomed by the
public?
S: Dramatic shift over the years. Playing games is seen as a great way to release anxiety, as a
strong opportunity for family to come together. Video games were designed to cause health
disorders before but not anymore. A statement from WHO director: Video games actually help
with mental health. Families are looking for spending more quality time with kids. Family value,
connectedness.
3. Can you tell me about the preparation work that Nintendo has set before the launch of Animal
Crossing? Any expected accomplishments or goals to reach?
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S: Delayed release of Animal Crossing created a new opportunity. Nintendo went to market in
spring, not changing their strategy or expectation of the Animal Crossing. It turns out that Animal
Crossing has a very strong following. Before, it was not a widely flavored game, not competitive
as Super Mario or the Zelda series. Animal Crossing was targeted at a small group of loyal
followers. But this typical game targets a different group of people including females, 18-34-year-
old.
● Focused consumer
● Beautiful island and scenery
● Social accomplishments
● Escapism
4. We know that Nintendo was under a lot of pressure when the Nintendo Switch was first
launched due to the lack of the number of the games and competition from Sony PS4 and Microsoft
Xbox. What measures were you taking at that time?
● Find more collaborators to build the game.
● Dig into the market and look for what the target consumers want.
● Be consistent with the brand's original purpose to make everyone smile.
● Not swung by the outside influence.
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5. This year’s pandemic has brought huge damage to the entertainment industry except for the
gaming industry. What do you think are the special qualities that gaming companies or the game
itself have that distinguish themselves from other companies?
● Family connectedness.
● Portable and Convenient.
● Safe, not requiring people to go outside.
● A new normal for people to get entertained at home.
● Escapism.
6. The past few years have seen a shift from traditional video games and console games to
mobile games and VR. What are the reasons behind that? How is Nintendo coping with that issue?
S: More people are involved in mobile games, which is the reason the Nintendo Switch and the
Nintendo Switch Lite was originally created for. For people to be entertained anytime, anywhere.
● Nintendo’s model is to reach as many customers as possible.
● Cooperates with Levi’s to release the clothing to build a super Nintendo world.
● Switch does things that the current console generation and next generation will never do.
● Continues to build games: More than 4,000 games are now released by Nintendo.
● Innovates around experiences that create the game of the trend of the day.
● Scale of VR doesn’t reach its great potential.
● Nintendo weighs its understanding of the new shift, focusing on the trend that’s welcomed
by more people and more beneficial to the sales.
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7. During COVID-19, many companies have undergone great losses in terms of sales and
revenues. Nintendo is one of the most successful companies that actually profit from the pandemic.
What campaign have you conducted so far besides Animal Crossing? What PR messages do you
want to share with the public?
Fundamental strategy: Once Animal Crossing becomes much bigger through WOM, Nintendo will
allow that momentum to grow on its own. There has been a broader media coverage, not only
including gaming media, but the mainstream media tend to join. Media outlets write about it
organically. Every media outlet comes to its own decision and writes about its own story. The
more media who write about it the more media who want more info about it. There are also
Influencers including mums, families, kids who help to sustain such momentum.
Became bigger than a video game. Pop culture movement embedded in today’s world.
8. What are the strengths Nintendo have that other gaming companies don’t?
● Respecting its customers, not exploiting its relationship with the customers.
● Care less about launch date, but more about the game quality.
● A little conservative, not manipulating their customers’ love for the company.
● Its main competitor Microsoft involves a lot of blood, competition in its games, while
Nintendo is dedicated to putting smiles on people’s faces.
9. What aspect do you think that Nintendo should improve and focus on in the next stage?
70
● Focus on challenge and opportunity
● Do not want Animal Crossing to be a one-hit wonder.
● Makes family feel better about playing games.
● Sustain itself beyond the pandemic through researching on what is going to stick with the
customers, and what the new normal would be.
● Families are not going to lose those connections built during the pandemic.
● There will be a new normal. With more students adopting asynchronous learning, and less
people going to the office. People will feel less connected in the new normal, and that’s
when video games get the opportunity.
10. Do you have any data to share regarding the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizon?
S: Nintendo has been very secretive about this. I can tell you that the launch of Animal Crossing
had more than 1,300 unique stories with 10 billion impressions on the earned media. Try to get
more info from the major media outlets like the Atlantic, Bloomberg, etc.
71
Appendix B: Focus Group Transcript
Participants: Vella Qiu, Peter Chen, Roy Fanntl, Josh Williams, and Rebecca Cloy
Name Age Gender Current Location Major Favorite Nintendo
Games
Vella 23 F Zhejiang, China Public Relations Animal Crossing
Peter 26 M Los Angeles Public Relations Super Mario Run
Roy 21 M Seattle Physics Animal Crossing
Josh 24 M Beijing, China Mechanical Engineering Monster Hunters
Rebecca 22 F Los Angeles Marketing Zelda
Ryan: Hi everyone. Thank you all so much for coming at lunchtime and spending time with
me. My name is Ryan. I’m going to moderate this session. For this discussion if you could
turn off your phones and put them on do not disturb just so that it is quiet on Zoom. I will
be recording this discussion group so I can listen to it later, and this audio won’t be shared
with anybody else. Do you consent to that?
Group: Yes.
Ryan: Fantastic. Okay so just a couple of housekeeping- general rules and items. This is a
judgement free zone where there are no correct answers, so please share your open and
honest opinions. Please be respectful of other participants and wait for others to finish before
72
you start speaking yourself, and feel free to eat or drink during the session. We will be
discussing views about the company Nintendo and its current game launch Animal Crossing,
and our session should last about 10ish minutes, and I will use the results from this discussion
to develop a case study for my thesis. Without further ado, let’s start! First things first, what
words or phrases that can best describe the company Nintendo?
Multiple: Games.
Happiness.
Family.
Laugh.
Great console launch from great consumer insight.
Ryan: What Nintendo games do you guys like?
Multiple: Monster Hunters. Mario. Animal Crossing. Super Smash. Zelda.
Ryan: Yeah for sure. What word comes to mind when you think of Animal Crossing?
Roy: COVID-19.
Vella: Island.
Rebecca: Calm.
Josh: Do whatever you want.
Peter: Great game of the pandemic.
Roy: Multiplayer.
Vella: Escapism.
Peter: Fulfillment.
73
Ryan: Well we’re all in unison on that. Do you guys recall how you first learned about the
game?
Peter: From my friends
Vella: Yeah. Friends as well.
Josh: I’ve always been a fan of Nintendo, and I kept tracking its latest launches.
Roy: Social media.
Rebecca: From the company’s website.
Josh: My girlfriend gave it to me as a birthday gift. (Laugh)
Roy: From my friends.
Ryan: All right. Can you guys think of any reasons why people would want to play this game?
Roy: I guess many people are under a lot of pressure especially during the pandemic, and the game
is just a perfect place to escape from the reality. You know, building and decorating stuff as you
want. And the environment there is really calming and relaxing. It makes people want to log into
the game day by day just to check the updates on their islands. Besides, it’s really interesting to
play that game with your friends when you have nothing else to do in your spare time.
Peter: It provides a sense of belonging and security to me. Whenever I’m online, I forget about the
real world and immerse myself in that little beautiful world I created.
Josh: I’m just crazy about it. I mean if it weren’t for Animal Crossing, I don’t know what else
should I do for such a long boring time,
74
Rebecca: That news always made us nervous and worried. You know. Many people are diagnosed
with COVID-19. We don’t know what to do. For me, I want to travel, road trip, visiting places.
And this game wouldn’t take much time. I can bring it anywhere I go. It’s really convenient.
Vella: I think, maybe because of the efforts that the company has made to make it approachable to
all ages. You know. Not only me and my friends, even my mother would want to try it out.
Roy: It’s like an alternative for your real life. People were like it’s the thing to do. You know. All
people are playing it.
Ryan: And then kind of going off of that, are there any reasons why someone might keep
playing the game after quarantine?
Group: What do you mean?
Ryan: Like if all things go normal, do you think that the game would still win such popularity?
Group: Yeah, of course.
Josh: I do think that the company should make more efforts in distributing the game if there isn’t
any lockdowns or quarantine. Because we are all stuck at home. You know. We have plenty of
time. But the game is somewhat time consuming. You have to check time by time on your island
for the new buildings or new species. And we won’t have so much time if I have to commute or
go to school or work.
Roy: Definitely.
Josh: And also, I myself quitted the game after spending several hours just because I’m not so into
the game type. It’s too relaxing. I want something more violent or something cool to play.
75
Rebecca: I think it’s really a good time for Nintendo for sure. But they need to do something more
just to ensure the operation after people get used to the new normal. You know what I mean?
Ryan: Right. You think social setting has anything to do with its success?
Multiple: Definitely.
Ryan: What kind of social settings or audience would be more pertinent to Animal Crossing?
Peter: Students staying at home and having Zoom class.
Vella: Anyone who wants to chill.
Josh: Nintendo fans. Or Animal Crossing fans.
Roy: A harmonious family.
Ryan: Right. When you’re looking for information on Animal Crossing or just the company
in general, where do you typically find it?
Roy: GameStop.
Josh: Gaming websites.
Vella: Social Media.
Rebecca: I once found it in the Los Angeles Times.
Peter: WeChat official account.
76
Ryan: How do you think Nintendo has achieved compared to other gaming companies like
Sony or Microsoft?
Roy: I think they are all great companies. They all have great games targeting different audiences.
But I think Nintendo did a great job targeting new audiences. Just the Animal Crossing, it targeted
all age groups. You know. The influence is profound. And they also did great in promoting that
game, you know, cooperating with renowned brands to publicize.
Josh: For those who like to collect things, this would be a perfect match for them. And Nintendo
has always been a company that develops fun games that make people smile and happy. Unlike
those actions like CS or Doom, the game context has always been relaxing, which is preferred by
a larger group of people in comparison to the shooting game.
Ryan: Is there anything that the game or the company can improve?
Vella: The game can probably speed a little bit on its process like growth cycles.
Josh: Like you said, the company probably needs to figure out what to do next to keep the
momentum they’ve created so far.
Roy: Trying to keep as many audiences as possible.
Rebecca: Maybe establish new relationships? Like collaborating with companies in other fields so
as to attract more audiences.
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Multiple generations of video game consoles have competed in the market since the 1970s. The characteristics and product marketing strategies of the different gaming companies have introduced several generations of technological change into the competitive gaming environment. These changes create a dynamic cause and effect relationship between the greater cultural context and the development of video games—making Nintendo an intriguing subject for public relations research and analysis. ❧ Nintendo, a company that has existed for over 130 years, has a long history based on deeply rooted values, along with a global vision to make every customer smile (Nintendo CSR Report, 2020). The COVID-19 global crisis has expanded the development of the gaming industry worldwide, which presents an interesting opportunity to study Nintendo’s marketing strategy during this unique time period to provide guidance for other consumer-oriented companies. This project hopes to answer a few key questions. What makes Nintendo one of the most profitable companies in 2020? How is the pandemic going to affect Nintendo and the gaming industry as a whole long-term? Why was Animal Crossing: New Horizons the most popular game of the year? And lastly, what does Nintendo need to do to maintain its momentum after the crisis? ❧ This paper offers a strategic analysis of Nintendo and its bestselling game in 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizon, while examining the company’s history, recent launches and competitive advantages. It also provides an analysis of Nintendo’s internal and external environments through qualitative research and analysis methods such as SWOT, PESO and SIP. Based on these insights and evaluations, the author will then review multiple marketing strategies and recommend the most appropriate one for the company to pursue in the future.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Ge, Zhuoyi (Ryan)
(author)
Core Title
A case study of Nintendo during COVID-19: illustrated by the launch of Nintendo Switch and Animal Crossing: New Horizons
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Strategic Public Relations
Publication Date
04/19/2021
Defense Date
03/25/2021
Publisher
University of Southern California
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Tag
Animal Crossing,Nintendo,nostalgia,OAI-PMH Harvest,Purpose,self-determination theory
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Cook, Fred (
committee chair
), Jones, Stephen (
committee member
), Tenderich, Burghardt (
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