Nintendo enhances expected loss; 15 million 3DS units sold since launch

Nintendo has once again revised its expected loss for the fiscal year ending in March, widening its forecasted financial misfortune from ¥20 billion ($258M) to ¥65 billion ($839M). The increased loss comes a quarter after Nintendo switched its forecast from a ¥20 billion profit to loss.

For the first nine months of the fiscal year ending December 31, Nintendo had sales of ¥556 billion ($7.2B), a 31 percent decrease from the same period last year. Overall, it posted a loss of ¥48.4 billion ($620M).

"Nintendo 3DS hardware during the nine months ended December 31, 2011, were 11.43 million units, and the total worldwide sales since its launch exceeded 15 million units," the company stated. Both Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 have gone on to become million-selling titles.

The company also mentioned that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii recorded "strong sales, especially in the United States." Worldwide Wii sales over the nine-month period hit 8.96 million units, with software selling 89 million units.

Nintendo's financial woes, coupled with mobile gaming's increased portion of the handheld market, are not sitting well with investors. The House of Mario continues to see its stock sitting at a five-year low.

Reader Comments (57)

@BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam: You are a Pikachu with a sombrero and gigantic moustache. I can't take anything you say seriously.

@AxelSteelBMX
What do you have against mustaches? Or sombreros?

The 3DS was being marketed as a Game Cube in DS clothing. Almost all the games are Game Cube/N64 like in nature, right down to direct ports of GC/N64 games. Since those were Nintendo's weakest performing consoles, it makes sense that the software/hardware sales would have a similar performance.

Only by having more GB/GBA/DS-SNES like software is going to lift the 3DS out of its funk. People forget that the PSP was outselling the DS when it first came out. Why? Because the DS was being parroted as a portable N64 with similar games on it. When the thing got rebranded as a portable SNES with SNES-like software (NSMB, FF3, Mario Kart), did the system take off.

The 3DS is coming down off of the DS sales phenomenon so that might have helped its sales, but now that most people are seeing that the system is more of a platform for 3D output and recycled games interest has dropped. The 3DS and its real lack of killer apps (only real one on there right now is Mario Kart 7 and 3D Mario doesn't sell hardware) is what has helped sink Nintendo's profit margins. If Nintendo didn't think there was something going horribly wrong with its sales it wouldn't have cut the price so much so soon.

The only thing that will pull the 3DS sales up will be more 2D Mario, and more SNES-like software, and less-to-no N64/GC-like games or 3D rehashes. People want NEW games, not old games prettied up in new window dressing.

@Vanor
People want both new games, and old games. Old games are ones we already know are good, but then want them easily playable on a newer platform, and perhaps even enhanced. It's why we see ports, remakes, and collections across all platforms and publishers.

@BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam

Okay, people want old games. Then you put games like OoT up as downloadable games, not as flagship titles. That's the problem with your argument there. Nintendo saw OoT 3D as a flagship game. But it was around a 15 year old game that was going to be the flagship game for a modern game handheld that had been out for less than a year. To most people that smacks of laziness. People expect something new and exciting to pave the way for a game system's launch, not a rehash/facelift of something from 15 years back.

@Vanor
There's the Metal Gear, Ico, Prince of Persia, Sly Cooper, God of War, Splinter Cell, Jak, etc... collections. Those are retail. You could argue that they're collections of games, and not just the single games, but they're still repackaging old games, even if slightly modified. And then there's still complete remakes, like the Chronicles of Riddick game.

Not denying that the 3DS had a lackluster launch, though.

I'm surprised it's selling as well as it is. They announced a MAJOR revision to the hardware. Why would I buy a 3DS now and have to buy an ugly bulky add-on when I can just wait a little while and buy their next model with two built in analogue sticks? I know little kids and their mothers probably don't even know that it's coming so they'll buy it regardless, but I imagine most of us adult gamers would have the patience to hold off on a purchase.

Nintendo enhances expected loss; 15 million 3DS units sold since launch

Reader Comments (57)

Posted: Jan 26th 2012 1:53PM AxelSteelBMX said

Posted: Jan 27th 2012 2:46PM BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam said

Posted: Jan 26th 2012 1:00PM Vanor said

Posted: Jan 26th 2012 1:34PM BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam said

Posted: Jan 26th 2012 2:03PM Vanor said

Posted: Jan 27th 2012 2:45PM BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam said

Posted: Jan 26th 2012 5:49PM (Unverified) said

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