Interbrand inadvertently gave us yet another testament to Nintendo’s decline today when it released its 100 Global Brands ranking, an annual list of the most valuable brands in the world. Nintendo’s position on the list has been going down for years, but this year, for the first time in more than a decade, the company failed to make it onto the list at all. A number of factors are taken into account when determining a brand’s value, and according to Interbrand, Nintendo’s inability to adapt to the modern gaming market is one of the primary reasons why it didn’t make this year’s list.
For the first time since 2004, Nintendo has failed to place in Interbrand’s top 100 Global Brands ranking. Their decline through the top 100 global brands has been relatively steady since they first started placing. Interbrand looks at certain factors to determine the brand’s value. How the brand contributes to profits for the company and their general performance are rated highly in the ranking. Interbrand, perhaps, looked at Nintendo’s inability to shape with the times and adapt as reason to drop the brand out of the running. In 2014, when Nintendo placed last, this was what was said on the brand: “Nintendo continues to provide safe fun for families, but has not remained relevant to the smart world gamers who now demand edgier entertainment. Wii U, the brand’s biggest launch for several years, has suffered from weak sales since its birth in 2012, largely attributed to the limited number of games offer, as well as market dynamics. After three years of decline, Nintendo is yet to clearly articulate how it will respond to the challenge of smart devices and the prevailing free-to-play games model.”
