Game On: ‘Mario Kart World’ tops Japan charts six months after release

“Game On” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks.

‘MARIO KART WORLD’: According to (NTDOY) “Mario Kart World” was the top-selling video game in Japan the week of December 1-7. Other top selling games in the country that week were Nintendo’s “Kirby Air Riders,” “Pokemon Legends: Z-A,” Square Enix’s (SQNXF) “Octopath Traveler 0,” and Nintendo’s “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.” “Metroid” and “Octopath Traveler” were the only games in the top ten that were new.

XBOX MANAGEMENT: Microsoft (MSFT) has made a number of management changes in its Xbox business, with Xbox CFO Tim Stuart now transitioning to COO of ZeniMax, The Verge’s Tom Warren reported last week. Xavier Pokorzynski, who has worked on the gaming finance side at Microsoft for nearly 12 years, is now Microsoft Gaming CFO, Warren said.

TAKE-TWO INITIATION: B. Riley last week initiated coverage of Take-Two (TTWO) with a Buy rating and $300 price target. The firm said its bullish view is centered around the planned November 2026 debut for “Grand Theft Auto VI.” The game will be the largest entertainment launch in history and serve as an “event-driven catalyst” for the shares, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Riley also sees further growth for Take-Two’s recurrent consumer spending.

ROBLOX DOWNGRADE: JPMorgan downgraded Roblox (RBLX) to Neutral from Overweight with a price target of $100, down from $145. The company’s engagement inflected higher in 2025 due to viral hits like Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot, the analyst told investors in a research note. However, JPMorgan thinks the shares “could take a breather” in 2026 due to engagement headwinds, bookings growth slowing, and margins compressing. Roblox’s engagement trends have started to moderate with most viral experiences past their peaks, the analyst said.

Click here to check out recent Media Buzz Sentiment on Roblox as measured by TipRanks.

MORE VIDEO GAME NEWS:

• Bethesda’s 2011 hit “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” is now available on Nintendo Switch 2
• Sony’s (SONY) Bungie said that its upcoming multiplayer shooter “Marathon” will launch in March 2026 at $39.99