Nintendo lays off 130 employees and relocates European headquarters

Nintendo is closing its European headquarters in Großostheim, Germany. As a result, 130 employees of the company will be out on the street, Nintendo has confirmed. The Frankfurt office will become the new European headquarters.

In a statement to the press, according to Eurogamer, Nintendo said that the measures were not made easy, but that they came about after “a thorough analysis and careful consideration”. Nintendo is in talks with the German government about a way to support the affected employees. In total, approximately 430 part-time and full-time employees worked in Großostheim.

By closing the office in Großostheim, Nintendo says it wants to be more decisive. In the future, for example, it could focus products more quickly on the European market, which is fast and dynamic.

The layoffs are partly the result of poor sales for the Wii U console, the company’s annual figures showed last month. The Japanese console builder was able to sell far fewer Wii Us than initially expected. Partly because of this, Nintendo saw the loss increase over the entire financial year.