Several fire engines were reportedly called to Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters today after a fire broke out in the building. Nintendo’s Japan headquarters contains business and game development departments, and has multiple floors.
According to police reports through Japanese media (via VGC), a fire broke out on the third floor and partially burned several desks and chairs, but fortunately, no one was injured. While the police and fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire, it’s believed that the small blaze was started by an electronic device that was being charged.
Even if the entire building did catch fire, Nintendo has contingency plans to help it continue operating. As Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa explained to shareholders previously, the company will prioritize protecting its employees in the wake of a natural disaster, secure assets for a recovery effort, and implement “various proactive measures ” to get its operations back up and running.
Japan sits on the most active earthquake belt in the world and is also currently experiencing a record summer that has seen the temperature soar to over 95 degrees Fahrenheit on several days. Nintendo announced that it would soon be expanding in order to have more game development space. The company plans to to build two new major offices where more games can be developed in-house, and the first building will be located next to Nintendo’s current Kyoto headquarters.
Though its building (thankfully) isn’t on fire, Nintendo’s sales certainly are. Nintendo Switch sales are in decline when compared to last year thanks to the ongoing semiconductor shortage, but 111.08 million Switch units have been sold as of August 2022 and software sales continue to do extremely well.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Nintendo Switch Sports, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continue to be best-sellers, and the launch of Bayonetta 3 and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet this year will see demand for the console spike once again.
