Nintendo sets up Singapore company to drive Southeast Asia expansion

SINGAPORE: Japanese video game giant Nintendo has announced the establishment of a new company in Singapore as part of its plans to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia. The announcement was made on the company’s official website on Tuesday (Sept 30).

The new entity, Nintendo Singapore Pte. Ltd., was formally established on Sept 26 with a share capital of $8 million. Nintendo described this move as part of a wider effort to expand more directly into Southeast Asia, marking a shift from relying solely on distribution partners.

Alongside Singapore, the company is also exploring the establishment of a local unit in Thailand, while no details have been provided on the timeline or investment for the Thai entity.

Nintendo, based in Kyoto, has been a major player in the global video game industry for decades, with its franchises, including Mario, Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing, ranking among the most recognisable in the world.

The company’s current hardware line features the Nintendo Switch and its successor, the Switch 2, which sold more than 3.5 million units worldwide in its first four days of release earlier this year. In total, Nintendo has sold over 860 million hardware units and more than 5.9 billion software titles across its history.

In Singapore and Southeast Asia, Nintendo has previously relied on distribution partners, with Maxsoft being a key distributor of consoles, software, and accessories in Singapore and neighbouring markets. The creation of a local company suggests Nintendo intends to take a more direct role in shaping its operations in the region.