We wouldn’t normally talk about the stock market crisis that the markets woke up to this morning, were it not for the fact that it obviously also affects the video game industry. The fall of the Nikkei 225 index at the opening of Tokyo this morning saw a general market plunge, due to fears of a recession in the United States and rising tensions in the Middle East. And this Black Monday has also been passed on to the country’s big video game companies.
Nintendo shares are now worth 15% less than last Friday’s close, while Capcom shares are down 16%. These have been the hardest hit, but many others are suffering from the market turmoil. Sega is down around 13%, Konami 8% and Sony 6%. Koei Tecmo is also down 6% and Square Enix 5%.
Based on updated data from the other markets, it seems that the decline, while widespread, has been much more severe in Japan. We will have to wait and see whether the markets recover or not, and how the situation will affect the companies’ calendars and short and medium term future.