In a year in which technology news was dominated by artificial intelligence, the outstanding video games were still being designed by human beings.

Nintendo, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises, is reporting an 18.6% surge in net profit for the first fiscal quarter on the back of strong demand for its new Switch 2 console.

Nintendo’s Switch 2 is bigger and better than its predecessor of eight years past as the video game developer pushes to bring its brand into “a new era” where social experiences are at the forefront.