Nintendo Stock Drops as Analyst Compares Switch 2 Era to Wii and Wii U
Nintendo’s share price in Japan has fallen sharply over the past several months, dropping roughly 33% since its all-time high in August 2025 as investors reassess the company’s post–Switch 2 momentum and near-term outlook.
As of Tuesday, Nintendo stock closed at ¥9,950 ($62.70), marking the first time it has dipped below the ¥10,000 threshold since April 2025. The decline follows a record peak of ¥14,795 ($93.23) reached last summer, the highest share price ever recorded for the company.
While fluctuations are common in the video game industry, analysts say the speed of the drop has rattled some investors — particularly amid uncertainty around future pricing, hardware margins, and Nintendo’s 2026 first-party lineup.
“Nintendo stock in Japan is sliding,” Kantan Games CEO Dr. Serkan Toto wrote on X earlier this week. “So -33% in 5 months: Investors are spooked by possible price hikes, lack of 1st-party hits and U.S./EU hardware discounts during the holidays.”
Speaking to Game Rant, Toto said strong market reactions following major console launches are nothing new for Nintendo — for better or worse.
“Console launches are critical for a game company’s short- and mid-term future, so heavy reactions if things go south or north post-launch are not surprising,” Toto said. “Nintendo is a good example.”
Toto pointed to historical precedents, noting that Nintendo’s stock surged during the Wii era once investors recognized the company had “two winning horses” in both the Wii and Nintendo DS. Conversely, confidence collapsed during the Wii U years, when the company’s stock “remained flat on a very low level for years” as the market came to terms with the console’s struggles.
The recent downturn comes despite a historically strong start for the Switch 2, which launched in June 2025 and quickly became the fastest-selling console of all time. However, sales momentum appears to have cooled somewhat over the holiday period — a slowdown that, while expected, has coincided with concerns about Nintendo’s software pipeline.
New Theory Suggests a Nintendo Direct Is Coming Soon
The first Nintendo Direct of 2026 is possibly just around the corner, with a recent leak pointing to one of the games that could be featured in it.
Additional uncertainty stems from rising component costs and international trade pressures. Last week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that memory prices and tariffs — particularly in the U.S. — remain an ongoing concern. It seems like the Nintendo Switch 2 will remain unaffected by broader market changes for now, but that doesn’t mean a future increase is off the table.
For investors who bought in near last summer’s peak, patience may now be required. However, Toto emphasized that the stock’s decline is unlikely to have any meaningful impact on consumers or Nintendo’s broader business stability.
“Gamers should not be worried,” Toto said. “But Nintendo investors who bought stock at the peak back in summer probably need patience now.”
Despite the recent slide, Nintendo’s current share price remains significantly higher than at any point prior to 2025. The company’s stock sat at roughly ¥2,400 when the original Switch launched in 2017 and never surpassed ¥7,000 even during the height of the Wii era.