Nintendo Direct and Sales/Engagement Data: What Shifted in Weeks 37–38

Top News Items            Industry News   - Weeks 37-38,  2025                            ( September 8-21 )

Nintendo Direct Recap, Borderlands 4 Week-One Data, and Sony G&NS Mix: Key Numbers (W37–38)

The fortnight of 7–20 September 2025 was framed by an industry conversation around scope and production timelines. The report notes growing frustration with longer AAA cycles, highlights audience expectations across gameplay, visuals and narrative, and concludes that “smaller can be better.”

Nintendo Direct (September 2025)

• The show ran ~60 minutes; Nintendo of America’s YouTube video surpassed 5M views with 155K upvotes and 24K downvotes (≈6:1 positive ratio).

• 35+ titles were shown; highlights listed include Storm Lancers, Popucom, and Metroid Prime 4.

• Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 are planned for Switch 2 (separately and as a bundle) at $40 each; resolution upgrades were noted as the main change.

• Super Mario Bros. Wonder will get a Switch 2 upgrade with a new “Meetup in Bellabell Park” mode.

• Additional items: new Kirby amiibo, a “Virtual Boy” accessory (Feb 17, 2026) with 14 titles for Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers.

• Recent controversy points: Pokémon Legends Z-A paid end-game DLC and discussion around Nintendo patents related to traversal and summoning/battling mechanics.

Borderlands 4 — Strong launch metrics, mixed reception

• Media Metascore 83/100; user score 4/10 on Metacritic.

• GSD: 676K launch-week units across eight tracked retail territories, +32% vs. Borderlands 3 week one (2019).

• Steam concurrency peak: 304K.

• Reported PC performance issues included low framerates and crashes; public comments from Gearbox leadership and ongoing patches are noted.

China, AI hardware alignment, and Nvidia

• Tencent stated its AI infrastructure has been “fully adapted” for Chinese-designed processors, following a Chinese regulator’s finding that Nvidia violated antitrust rules tied to its 2019 Mellanox acquisition.

• The report notes broader uncertainty for U.S. companies selling into China’s cloud/AI sectors under export restrictions, and references commentary from Nvidia’s leadership; it also notes a 15% remittance of Chinese revenues to the U.S. government cited as an unprecedented arrangement.

Sony Corporate Report 2025 — G&NS mix

• Hardware accounts for ~25% of segment revenue (up from 19% in 2019).

• Digital software: 20%; physical software: 6%.

• Add-on content: 29% (largest driver).

• Monthly active users up +14% in two years.

Additional Highlights

• Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is described by the studio as its most ambitious and most expensive project to date.

• EA to shut down multiplayer for several racing titles; the Stop Killing Games campaign targets 1M verified signatures for EU consideration.

• Steam Early Access policy reportedly no longer accepts mature-theme games; GOG’s “Freedom To Buy Games” response is noted.

• Bloodlines 2 DLC plan revised: clans added to the Premium Edition’s Expansion Pass.

• Destiny 2 Renegades crossover and community reaction; potential franchise risk is discussed.

Across platform showcases, launch outcomes, and corporate disclosures, the two-week cycle documents concrete shifts in product performance, revenue mix, and platform policy. The report also captures the ongoing debate about project scale and timelines shaping AAA development.

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