Nintendo down on limited impact from Pokemon Go

Pokemon in HK: A woman tries to catch Pikachu while playing Pokemon Go on her smartphone in Hong Kong. Pokemon Go was launched in Japan on Friday and became available in Hong Kong yesterday. – Bloomberg

TOKYO: Shares in Nintendo Co tumbled as much as 18% yesterday after the company said Pokemon Go would have a limited impact on its earnings – their biggest setback so far after a huge run-up on the smash-hit game.

The Kyoto-based gaming company, which is due to report first-quarter results this week, surprised markets with a statement on Friday that income garnered through its 32% stake in affiliate Pokemon Company, which owns the licensing rights, would be limited and that it did not plan to revise its earnings outlook for now.