Nintendo’s first “store-within-a-store” in North America opens Saturday, October 17 at 10 a.m., inside the flagship EB Games on Yonge Street in Toronto, MobileSyrup reports.
Inside the 1,500-square-foot space:
- Switch 2 demo stations
- Nintendo products and merchandise, and themed displays, including a Mario statue
- Launch-day offers while supplies last: a free $50 eShop card with $200 or more in Nintendo purchases, or two with a Switch 2
- A launch event planned for the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on November 5
Why Toronto? EB Games Canada president Jim Tyo calls it “such a great Nintendo town.” The store has hosted big Nintendo launches before, and Nintendo games regularly chart higher in Canada than in the U.S. “Canada is a huge gaming audience,” said Nintendo of Canada GM Susan Pennefather. She says half of Canadians play games. Nintendo will watch how customers respond before deciding whether to open more.
Why it matters: Nintendo testing a retail concept here first is a nod to how strong its Canadian fan base is. It’s also a rare piece of good news for physical game stores. Note that the Switch 2 itself got $50 more expensive in Canada in May.
