For years, Nintendo has operated dedicated stores in Japan and the U.S. Now, Canada is getting its own Nintendo Shop.
Starting Saturday, October 17, the flagship EB Games on Yonge St. in Toronto will be home to Nintendo’s first ever “store-in-a-store” experience in North America. It’s tucked away in the back on the first floor of EB Games, so you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s small. But enter the 1500 sq.
After visiting all the Nintendo Stores around the world, including the last one in San Francisco, I am quite impressed. After all, Canadians are well conditioned to get these kinds of things either late or not at all – certainly compared to our US neighbors. So, it begs the question: How did Canada get this North America first?
“Canada is a big gaming audience. In fact, 50 percent of people in Canada say they play games, and that’s pretty evenly split between men and women,” says Susan Pennefather, vice president and general manager of Nintendo of Canada.
“Toronto is such a great Nintendo city,” adds Jim Tyo, president of EB Games Canada. “There is such enthusiasm and fandom here.”
Pennefather notes that Nintendo has held many popular events at the very EB Games flagship, including special launches for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the Nintendo Switch 2. “So it really felt like EB Games was a great partner, a great space in the city of Toronto, to bring this to life and really create an experience for Nintendo fans, for families, to come in and get that sense of discovery and fun that everyone associates with Nintendo.” She adds that the teams have found “really great inspiration” from what has been done with Nintendo in other markets.
This Toronto storefront comes at a remarkable time, however. Tech products everywhere are going up in price, with the Nintendo Switch 2, in particular, becoming $50 more expensive last month. Factor that in with an overall higher cost of living, and it’s clear that more people are tightening their belts. Given that, how does Pennefather hope the storefront will continue to attract Canadians?
“I think of the families who may have just seen Super Mario Galaxy movie for the first time this spring, and began to fall in love with Princess Peach, Mario, and [are now] being able to come into a room and maybe take a photo with Mario in his warp pipe, take home a plushie to add to the collection on their bed, and try the games where these amazing characters came to life for the first time,” she says. “I think that’s the experience we hope to expand on, but also, to talk to the fans who have loved Nintendo for so long.
Of course, the room itself always gives the opportunity to adapt experiences to different Nintendo products. At the moment it is understandably a big focus on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake that launched on November 5, for which Pennefather launched a special event. And beyond that, she looks forward to something like next year Pokemon wind in the Waves as an example of how Nintendo can “continually evolve and bring amazing experiences” to the store.
“I can imagine having a great Pokemon takeover, playing the game for the fans to enjoy together,” she says. “I think we can evolve the experience as new releases come out, and we have new experiences that we want to share with consumers and fans.”
“We have such a strong partnership and connection,” noted Tyo. “We share the same values. We want connection. We want community. We want to play, so we will continue to work on it and develop it together.”
But no discussion of expansion would be complete without asking about bringing this business concept to other Canadian provinces, including Nintendo of Canada’s own home in BC
“I think for today, I’m just taking it all in, excited to see how consumers react, and we’ll assess how things go, and then take it from there,” she says. “So at the moment it’s all about staying in the moment, but we’re always thinking about what’s around the corner, and we’ll keep you updated.”
On that subject, I have to ask: Can we ever see a real Nintendo Store in Canada, like the one in Japan and the US?
“I can’t talk about what the future might hold. I think for now this is an amazing experience that people get so much out of,” she says. “Maybe there will be a way forward in the future, but right now this is what we do here in Canada.”
For now, at least, the store gives Canada’s loyal Nintendo fans a place to regularly celebrate the brand. In business, I am reminded of the fact that while Nintendo is obviously popular worldwide, the company’s games in Canada perform exceptionally well. Based on data released monthly by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, Nintendo games regularly outshine those in America.
As we conclude our interview, I mention this to Pennefather. What makes Canadians especially big Nintendo fans? While she doesn’t have an answer for that, she says it’s that passion that has kept her at Nintendo of Canada for nearly 25 years.
“I feel very lucky that we have very passionate fans in Canada. You are absolutely right. Zelda is a great example. The franchise is doing really, really well in Canada. Mario doing really, really well in Canada. And I think we just found a way to make people feel like they want to experience our games, characters and worlds,” she says.
The grand opening for the Nintendo Room at EB Games is Sat., Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. For launch day only, EB Games is offering a free $50 Nintendo eShop gift card when you spend $200 or more on Nintendo products or two free $50 eShop cards when you buy Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, while supplies last.