Nintendo delivers annual profit, drops Wii U forecast dramatically

Forget about the NX release date, the delay to Zelda or even Miitomo having 10 million users. The real reason you’re here is for the digits – the numbers, just much did Nintendo make or lose this financial year.

Nintendo’s entire financial year covers the period from 1st of April 2015 all the way up until March 31st 2016. During that period, Nintendo recorded a net income profit of ¥16.5 billion . That’s down 61% on the previous year which was ¥41.8 billion. Nintendo expected this somewhat changing its estimates to ¥17 billion earlier in the year. w

The total amount of sales Nintendo did over the financial year were also down 8% compared to 2014/2015. There’s good news in the report however, games like Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer selling 3.04 million units, Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon even sold through 1.22 million units. On the Wii U side of things Splatoon has now sold through 4.27 million units and Super Mario Maker is on 3.52 million units. Nintendo says that Twilight Princess HD has ‘got off to a good start’ but doesn’t give a figure.

If there was ever any doubt that Nintendo has lost faith in the Wii U it’s this, in this period they sold 3.26 million consoles – they expect only 800,000 this financial year. Nintendo 3DS predictions are down too, from 6.79 million units sold this period to a predicted 5 million units this coming year. Nintendo did not give a prediction for Wii sales, safe to say that’s done.

The shining light continues to be Nintendo’s amiibo business. There are now 24.70 million amiibo figures out there and Nintendo has sold 28.90 of the amiibo cards. So what about Miitomo? Nintendo says that too has ‘started off well’.

So what about the next financial year which we’re already in – 1st April 2016 to 31st March 2017. Nintendo believes they will still remain in the black but there will be an overall decline in sales of 0.9% overall. Games like Pokemon Sun and Moon and Metroid Prime: Federation Force say Nintendo will be key 3DS titles and continued amiibo business will help.

The NX, if it sticks to its March 2017 release date will also help but it’ll only be on the market for less than a month at that point.

Nintendo will detail and answer questions about these financial results later today at a briefing.

Source: Nintendo IR