Game industry analyst Michael Pacther never shies from doling out criticism to Nintendo, but he never shies from doling out compliments either, which Nintendo fans tend to overlook.
In a recent episode of his Q&A show Pachter Factor, he was asked which gaming IP/brand does he think is the most valuable in the world. And his answer wasn’t Call of Duty of Grand Theft Auto, it was Nintendo’s Mario.
Pachter says that Mario is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, and is definitely the most valuable gaming brand.
In terms of pure revenue, there are many more gaming IPs that make a lot more money than Mario, such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, and annual sports franchises like FIFA and Madden NFL.
However, that’s because Nintendo doesn’t release Mario games that often — we typically get a big Mario game every 3-4 years (like Super Mario Odyssey), with a bunch of smaller Mario games in between (Super Mario 3D World, Mario Run, etc).
And Nintendo is very cautious about licensing the Mario brand to others. We rarely see Mario toys or Mario t-shirts, and even when we do, it’s a limited run.
Nintendo is very protective of its Mario brand, and that’s exactly why it’s so valued.
