Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
With Nintendo being one of the most recognizable video game brands in the world and home to some of the medium’s most beloved IP, it’s easy to forget the company’s humble beginnings as a company that primarily produced trading cards. In fact, Nintendo never abandoned those roots, as its Playing Cards division is still alive and well. So well, in fact, that Playing Card revenue was up by over 100 percent in Nintendo’s latest fiscal year.
Specifically, Nintendo’s Playing Card revenue was up by 102 percent in the fiscal year 2023 compared to the previous year, as spotted on page 13 of its earnings report. The company made 5.7 billion Yen ($42.2 million USD) on Playing Cards in FY 2023, a strong rise from the 2.8 billion Yen ($20.7 million) it made in FY 2022. We observed this unexpected growth in Playing Card revenue in November 2022 when looking at Nintendo’s earnings report for the first half of FY 23. At that time, revenue was up 51 percent in year-over-year comparisons.
Nintendo manufactures a slew of different playing cards, but it’s unclear specifically which sets have been driving sales. It’s also worth noting that these sales may expand beyond just physical cards, as Nintendo titles the category “Playing Cards, Etc.” Unlike its video game sales, Nintendo doesn’t provide a detailed breakdown of where exactly its Playing Card revenue is coming from.
We also wonder if Nintendo’s Playing Card business benefitted from the pandemic, with more people looking for ways to entertain themselves and stay occupied while sheltering at home. As the company heads into a new fiscal year, we’ll be watching to see if its Playing Card business maintains its momentum. For more Nintendo news, specifically out of its latest earnings report, Shacknews has all the details.