Nintendo prepares ‘Half-Term Heroes’ experience at Westfield shopping centre
by Dominic Sacco
LONDON’S Westfield Stratford centre will be transformed into Mario Land in February.
Nintendo is kicking off a sampling event called ‘Mario is coming to town: Half- Term Heroes’ in a bid to get children, families and gamers playing the latest titles. Shoppers will be able to go hands-on with a range of boxed titles including Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, Cave Story 3D, Tetris and One Piece, as well as eShop games like Pullblox. There will be a 16+ area with upcoming 3DS titles Tekken 3Dand Resident
Evil: Revelations on display. It’s a similar one-off event to the showcase Nintendo ran during the peak season last year.
Plus, consumers who buy a Nintendo 3DS console or game on the day will be able to bring their receipt to the stand and grab limited edition Marioand Nintendo merchandise. Those who buy both will get a £10 eShop voucher. A Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics stand will also appear outside the nearby GAME, where users will be able to try out both the 3DS and Wii versions. There will be a Mario Kart 7leaderboard
Nintendo TV goes 3D
NINTENDO TV is now available to view in 3D. The show (which is handled by Future Publishing’s Official Nintendo Magazineteam) was first made available on Wii 18 months ago, and has been viewed over 1m times. The 3DS version first appeared before
Christmas and its second episode goes live today (Friday, January 27th). Each free episode is available via the Nintendo eShop and lets users view 3D videos of the latest 3DS games, behind-the-scenes
4 January 27th 2012
footage, competitions, playing tips and 3D shorts. The second episode features Resident Evil, The Last Story, Pullbloxand 3D Classics Kid Icarus. “We are always striving to bring fun and exciting new content to Nintendo 3DS users and
Nintendo TV will do just that,” said Nintendo
UK marketing manager James Honeywell.” Publisher of Future’s Nintendo products Lee Nutter added: “The new 3D video show really is the first of its kind.”
Future: 01225 442244
Nintendo will let shoppers play the newest 3DS and Wii games at the Westfield Stratford centre
tournament in a dedicated Marioarea, too.
Nintendo is also arranging a treasure hunt around Westfield, with participants able to bring their own 3DS along or hire one on the day. Demonstrators will be on hand explaining the features of the 3DS in detail. This is something Nintendo says has been “really successful” in terms of educating parents about the handheld. Nintendo UK events and partnerships manager
“ by Christopher Dring
THE NINTENDO Shop at John Lewis Oxford Street could be the first of many, the department store specialist has told MCV. The Nintendo area in its flagship London shop has outperformed John Lewis’ other video gaming departments, the chain’s
RETAIL INTELLIGENCE Head to www.mcvuk.com for daily market data and news. This week our Recommended section starts on p31
We’re excited to be taking over Westfield Stratford this February half term.
Natasha Chatur, Nintendo
Natasha Chatur told MCV: “We’re really excited to be taking our Nintendo 3DS experiential tour to Westfield Stratford this February half-term. “We’re even more excited to be going over and above sampling with all the additional mechanics, to help ensure consumers get real exposure to the hardware, its functionality and the fantastic range of games available.”
Nintendo: 01753 483700 JOHN LEWIS EYES MORE SPECIAL GAMES SHOPS
games buyer Robert Hennessy told MCV. The section launched last year as part of a wider bid by John Lewis to grow its presence in the category. “The Nintendo shop was a hit,” said Hennessy. “We are now assessing how we take this forward.” However, Hennessy warns that the biggest issue facing
games retailers this year is generating profit in the face of severe price cutting. “The big challenge for retailers of gaming is profitability,” he added. “There have been some eye watering discounts offered and these have led to very slim margins. I hope that this is not the case for the rest of 2012.” John Lewis: 020 7828 1000