Nintendo Stocks Plummet When People Realize They Don't Own Pokemon Go

I've said it many times, and I think you'll probably hear it again, but since there's no better way to start one of these articles, I'll say it one more time: Pokemon Go is really damn popular. It's so popular, people are hunting for Pocket Monsters more than people hunt for their pocket monster. But here's the thing: while Pokemon is certainly affiliated with Nintendo in an irrefutable, inarguable way, it's important to remember that Pokemon still isn't a Nintendo-owned IP. It's the property of The Pokemon Company, which is owned, in part, by Nintendo, but not entirely. And while the Pokemon Company is certainly getting lots of cash from Pokemon Go, most of the money goes to Niantic, the actual developer developing the game.

So there are three degrees of separation between Nintendo and what must be their most popular game to date, something which confused shareholders when Pokemon Go first came out, causing Nintendo's stock to double in a few short days, skyrocketing past even Sony's own stock. This misunderstanding, however good it was for Nintendo, couldn't last: and at a investors meeting the other day, when Nintendo clarified that it wasn't getting direct profits from the success of Pokemon Go (it was only getting a fraction of the licensing fee the Pokemon Company charges Niantic), the bubble popped, and Nintendo's stock plummeted 17%, and will likely have fallen even further by the time you get around to reading this article.

Still, it's unfair to say Nintendo's getting nothing out of this. If nothing else, Pokemon Go is a massive shot of exposure, and will get more people interested in Sun and Moon than ever before. And those games, which Nintendo has a far more direct hand in, will likely be smash hits.

So, if you've got Nintendo stock, it might be worth holding on to it for a bit longer... and keep your finger hovering over the 'sell' option for when they decide to reveal the NX. You know... just in case.