Nintendo Announces Higher Than Expected Profits Despite Missed Sales Targets

I'm surprised the Wii U hasn't hit 10 million units sold yet. Pretty slack!

3,4 million units expected?

Metroid and F-Zero at E3 confirmed, believe me

A positive step in the right direction. This financial year will be particularly challenging though, with none of their big hitters due; Zelda may not come in time. Splatoon and X will help but it's going to be tough.

Would love to know how Sony's and Microsoft's console divisions compare to Nintendo's???

Interestingly Project Giant Robot is listed for 1st half of this year, so it can't be to far away

@manu0 listed where?

These are pretty weak results...

@Ichiban same, I thought it would have reached 10 million by now... While it seems a bit unlikely, I hope that some game/games will be able to give a good major boost to the sales.

Okay nintendo. im hoping 10 million Wii U's before E3 with the help of splatoon. BUT great work

All I care about: more MK8 and Smash DLC!!

It's worth noting all those sold numbers are actually shipped. People love pointing it out for MS but Nintendo gets a free pass.

The 3DS figures are no surprise as it's been on a downward trend for years, but the Wii U ones kind of are. When they announced those targets, almost everyone said it was purposefully low, so this year they could boost about exceeding them and perhaps cause the opposite of the huge stock crash when they missed them last year.

The Wii U is not going to go much further, no matter how the fan base wants it to...and I'm part of that fan base. The 3DS I thought would take off more with the New version, but with only Xenoblade Chronicles made exclusive to it, until they make more exclusives for just that version, they'll have a tough time selling it. I don't see Star Fox selling more Wii U's. They're going to need a bigger game to help make more sales on it. Other than that, I would have thought the Amiibo's were there big money maker right now. I hope next year helps nintendo come back into the spotlight and no more 'negative' comments for them anymore. An excellent company should not have this much bad press.

Maybe we just expect too much from Nintendo. Compare their revenues to that of EA which was announced recently as well as others like King and you can see they aren't the dominant force they once were.

Just keep making good games and I will keep buying them.

They still expect to sell 100k Wii's next year?

@SuperCharlie78

Since neither of those games have ever been 'system sellers' in the past, I will choose not to believe you.

Mario Kart 8 has more than 50% attach rate !?

Holy Moly

@Peach64 Are you sure about that? If it is, what is Wii doing on the list, since they discontinued it in 2013. They should not have them in stock anymore.

DOOOOOMED! NINTENDO IS DOOOMED!1!1!1! THEY BETTER GO 3TH PARTY TO SURVIVE!1!1

Sad outlook for Nintendo. Really low system sales for Wii U despite them having a really stellar year as far as software offered.

With no system selling games on the horizon for either system (unless they announce some big surprise titles at E3), next year's results will be even worse.

@Nintendo_Ninja Even after they announced to make games for the smartphones, you all still think they're doomed? LOL!

@jlpick, I bought my Wii U last month in preparation for Star Fox. Also I just made this account to tell you how wrong you are. Good day.

@Therad Wii Mini is still being sold, so they must still being sending those out to retailers, even if they didn't make any new units.

@Peach64 to be fair, I don't see how Nintendo get a free pass when it comes to anything, not even by their own fans... The hammering Nintendo and Wii U got has been really ridiculous, since launch. I know what you're saying, you say it often enough, just having my say

Below projections? But the WiiU is only 20K below projections and the 3DS and Wii are quite above them. I'm confused.

If Mario maker gets awesome reviews and has everything I'm looking for/anticipating I may get a wii U on Black Friday this year for it.

@LemonSlice The Wii U forecast was 3.6 million and the 3DS forecast was 12 million. The numbers in the article are their targets for the next 12 months.

@Peach64: Why does it say 2014 to 2015 in the parentheses then? A mistake?

@Nintendo_Ninja Are you still one of those people making that comment that spells out insensitive or a joke? Perhaps you have seen weaker profits from other companies, and you get away with it by saying 'they'll do fine' or 'they'll recover, for sure', along those lines. Talk about double standards, if not hypocrisy.

@LemonSlice

I guess so! Here is the NLife article from a year ago with the targets

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/05/satoru_iwata_explains_conservative_wii_u_sales_projection_of_just_36_million_units

@LemonSlice - The financial year for Nintendo runs April 1 to March 30th of thefollowing year, its not a calendar year. I dont understand why businesses do this, but thats the way it works. Just as annoying as doing my 2014 taxes in 2015.

The BBC article about this still called the Wii U the 'Wii', a good illustration of how badly Nintendo publicised this generation of console.

@rjejr I know about the Japanese financial year, but if it starts in 2015 then it isn't written as 2014-2015, is it?

@Peach64 thanks

@mid_55 or a good example of very poor, sloppy, lazy journalism...

Wish the Wii U would be selling a bit better. It's got some good games. Shame to see it falling behind. Also, is the Wii seriously still selling!?

@happydude633 If you are done bashing me, I'm a Wii U and New 3DS owner and an avid nintendo fan. What I was stating, is that the Wii U is still selling poorly and Star Fox will probably not help it much. I'm glad you bought a Wii U for Star Fox, but that game is not going to bring it's sales up. The Wii U has fantastic games, but us as the fans, are the only ones that seem interested in it. Please look into information before just bashing everyone.

at NintendoFan64...I wish it would be selling better too...it's an amazing system, it's just not seeming to get the love it deserves. Yeah, the Wii is still selling...even used at Gamestops over the Wii U...which bothers me at the fact that the Wii U even plays Wii games.

Did they really sell nearly 10 million copies of Pokemon AS OR, remastered ports of 12 year old games? My kids still havent played Red / Blue, sounds like easy money to me.

And an Emerald remake should have been a given for this year.

@LemonSlice - Sorry, all the dates in the article above look accurate to me, both past and future tense. Maybe theyve corrected it since you commented?

@ThomasBW84 - What happend to the weekly Wednesday Media Create news for Japanese sales? Ive been waiting forever to see if XC saved the Wii U.

@rjejr @ThomasBW84 I believe the media create numbers are due tomorrow, because of Golden Week, everything got delayed since nobody was in work. That should be more positive news for Nintendo when it comes.

@rjejr glad someone asked, I really enjoy seeing the sale's figures, and particularly interested in this week with Xenoblade.

Why are people still buying the wii? Most game stores I've seen have no games in stock and even gamestop's preowned sections are looking barren.

Ah well good to hear profit is going up.

I still wonder why Ninty does not use its IP to sell non gaming merchandise en masse. Think back a few days ago to the Majoras Mask night light, which they could have sold for tons of money, but instead appears as a restricted reward.

If you think how Disney plasters Mickey Mouse on everything from coffee mugs to baby's clothes, I wonder why Nintendo does not try to do the same with Mario, Zelda and the other big franchises. Still, good news that profits are up!

Well, it is nice to see them raking in some kind of profit without a giant asterisk about exchange rates or weak yen or modifiers like that.

However, this is a little sad: With respect to "Wii U," Nintendo released two hit titles, "Mario Kart 8" and "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U," which enjoyed robust sales of 5.11 million units and 3.65 million units respectively.

I take it Bayonetta 2 is closer to "failure" status, then, as it was not mentioned at all...? So that's a huge let-down.

Interesting that Nintendo really doesn't see anything resembling "growth" considering the Wii U or 3DS, but to just maintain generally low sales. The Wii U still has not outsold the Dreamcast and has now had around 6 months more time (or so) to it's life. I really don't see it doing 3.4 million in sales over this year. At this point, Nintendo better be planning to roll out the NX as a Wii U replacement next year, because the Wii U may have finally found some stability, but it's not a good stability.

Again, good to see that they've finally turned some profits, but they're still missing their own projections, and they are clearly not going to be "thriving" any time soon. They are only hovering around "stable survival." It's clear the 3DS and Wii U are not strong cards in their future.

My hypothesis is that they will rake in their biggest profits of the year the month they start appearing on mobile devices. And that will permanently alter the direction of the company.

@MightyKrypto
The way I see it, is almost everyone is losing money right now. The fact they're netting a profit, no matter how large or small, is more than good enough.

And it needs to be said- if Nintendo can still manage to net profits in times like these, with Wii U sales as they are, they're basically future proofed. If they can still net a profit in the worst of times, imagine what will happen when it's the best of times. Basically, I never have to worry about not being able to play Nintendo games on Nintendo hardware. And for me, that's the bottom line.

@MJKOP - Normally I woudlnt care, but I've been eyeing that XC bundle - and the low weekly Wii U # - since they revealed it. Wii U better break 10k.

@ThomasBW84 - Thanks for getting back to me TW. They'l probably release the # during the Splatoon ND And speaking of...
Though if Peach says Friday it's likely Friday.

@Peach64 - Thanks Peach, I thought maybe something was going on over there, asked Sammy last night but I think he was sleeping. I probably should have just asked you instead, you always know this stuff.

It's great that their profits are higher than expected, but they could do with increasing their sales figures. It would be great if Nintendo had some surprises to help get more people buying their products, but I'm skeptical about anything major happening before their next generation console.

I love my Wii U and my PS4, but being honest the (new) 3DS is way better than both together. I can play anywhere amazing games. Free time between patients?, MH4U! Lunch time? MH4U! After university? MH4U!

@Frank90
I'm increasingly beginning to agree with you on that. Up until now, Wii U has ruled the roost for me above 3DS, PS4, X1 and Vita. But since the new3DS released, with MH4U and Xenoblade, I think it's retaken the crown. PS4 has also gotten a lot more play lately.

@JaxonH

I think you're overlooking the three years of hefty losses Nintendo incurred prior to this. Nintendo is definitely not "future proof" in any way--almost no one is. Today's tech giants are tomorrow's dated technology. Look at Sony, for instance--they dominated consumer electronics for decades, and have been struggling badly, particularly over the last five years or so. The Playstation division is raking in profits selling nearly as many consoles per month as Nintendo is planning for this whole year, but the company as a whole is still working to get back to profits (Hirai's plan is for this to occur in 2018).

A part of this is that they were not future proof, and didn't see companies like LG, Panasonic, and especially Samsung who would come sweeping in to dominate areas where Sony once held control. TVs are just as good from anyone these days, and Samsung has practically become a de facto Android phone company. In some cases, it isn't iPhone vs Android, it's become iPhone vs Galaxy. Sony's mobile division is still hemorrhaging money.

But no, Nintendo is no more "future proof" than any other tech or entertainment company. Microsoft might be difficult to topple, but i wouldn't even consider them future proof. Aside from the flukes that defined the Wii and DS, Nintendo's hardware has been on a pretty steady sales decline ever since the NES, with each new console selling below the predecessor.

On the upside, Nintendo going mobile and (at long last) licensing their characters for Universal theme parks are going to be huge boons for them. Now they should do like Disney, and absorb some other media empire. DC and Marvel comics are already taken elsewhere. They should buy IDW.

@crimsontadpoles

No, their profits are lower than expected. They planned to be back in profits now, but missed their projections. It's good and bad news. They made profits, but missed their goal.

@TruenoGT

I'm curious why you think it might get to 30 million. I no longer expect higher than 15 million before it's retired, so I expect it to be notably below the GameCube. Currently, it still has not outsold even the ill-fated Dreamcast, and the Wii U has had more time at retail. What do you base that on?

@Quorthon
A fair point, but it seems they've always figured out a way to get back to profits, one way or another. They lost money the last few years, true, but they seem to have adapted since then (and still in the process of adapting- I think we'll see even more changes in the coming years).

So no, no company is 100% fire proof (future proof- stupid auto correct), but considering their situation, the fact they managed to make any money at all is assuring.

I'll be shocked if a price cut isn't announced at E3.

What a fascinating outlook for Nintendo at this point. Consoles are just not doing it for them, their handheld hardware is struggling a bit. Yet, their properties are still very strong and sought after as evidenced by their mobile deal, Amiibo, leaked movie discussions and the Universal Studios deal.

What do you do?

Create new IP like Splatoon for the console and push it hard! Delay one of the biggest console properties in the west, Zelda, while attempting to upturn conventions. A little surprising, no?

Still, there is a disturbing potential situation that many have already discussed. Mobile games from Nintendo could very well dominate the pie chart on profits next year.

Now, what do you do?

@JaxonH
I do not play nothing on Wii U since Smash, and PS4 I did played MKX but...the game was great, but I don't know, maybe the short and bad story, maybe the "pay to unlock", I don't know but left a bad taste to me.
But 3DS! God, even finishing MH4U now I have more than 10 games that I bought and never played! And I have to play Fire Emblem Awakening again (for the fifth time) before the release of the next FE.

Is Nintendo doomed? Nah

@Quorthon
The headline said about higher than expected profits, though I haven't fully read the article yet.

@Frank90
I was on a roll with Wii U for a good little grip of time- went straight from 600 hrs of MH3U, beat Splinter Cell Blacklist, best Pikmin 3, beat Wonderful 101, beat Mario 3D World, beat DKC Tropical Freeze (and played time trials forever, so fun), then went right into Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors, beat Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, binged on Smash Bros, jumped into Captain Toad, moved on to Kirby... All the while digging into VC like Fire Emblem and Metroid Fusion.

Ya, it was non-stop Wii U for quite a while, periodically enjoying games like Dragon Age Inquisition, Infamous Second Son, The Last of Us, Forza Horizon 2, Halo Master Chief, Zelda Link Between Worlds, etc.

But since MH4U released, I've played that for 350 hrs, Box Boy, Majoras Mask, Code Name STEAM, Xenoblade (still at beginning)... Hopefully we have a lot more coming for 3DS announced at E3.

It's about to switch to PS4 though once Witcher 3 and Arkham Knight release. And Splatoon, of course.

I'm impressed the wii sold close to 12 million units of software. What was released?

@JaxonH

Depending on when the mobile stuff rolls out, I expect this fiscal year will bode very well for them, and with any luck, that will drive them towards finding some solid new footing. I would still like to see full user accounts implemented, but I have a feeling that DeNA may be building precisely that.

Still disappointed Bayonetta 2 didn't even garner a mention, though. I'm yet amazed at just how good that game really is. Even Hyrule Warriors was skipped when talking about "Wii U hits." That's a shocker.

@JaxonH I'm thoroughly impressed. How in the world do you find the time to play let alone beat games? I'm lucky to have 20 minutes any given day. Haha

@Quorthon
Bayonetta 2 (and the original) was a fantastic game. Unfortunately, like most great games on Wii U, it just didn't do all that great. It did ok, I guess, but games like that, games like Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101, MH3U... They just never saw the success they deserved. Don't get me wrong- MK8 and Smash are freat games, but so are all these others. Better, even.

If mobile is what they have to do to stay on solid ground I say more power to em (seems Pokemon mobile games will be a big hit, stuff like Rumble World). I just enjoy playing their console/handheld games, and want to continue doing so in the future. We'll have to see how this whole DENA thing plays out. An account system would be nice. Their hardware is durable and built to last, but nothing lasts forever. One day soon my original Wii will breath it's last.

@TruenoGT

Nintendo could drive up a lot more Wii U sales for the same reason Sony could sell a lot more Vitas--by slashing prices and bundling the systems with storage space. If the Vita was dropped to around $125~150 and came packed with at least a 16GB memory card, that system would see a surge in sales and popularity. If the Wii U was dropped to $200, and packed with either larger storage space or a couple major titles--like Bayonetta 2, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Mario Maker & Nintendo Land, etc., it would see a surge in sales.

That said, at this point in the lives of both consoles, they are not going to reverse fortunes and these surges would likely be temporary. The GameCube briefly outsold the PS2 at one point--when it was dropped to $99--and then went right back to being dominated by the PS2 within a month or two (though, Nintendo waited way too long to do this drop).

My albeit loose hypothesis is NX will launch in 2016, be a home console in some capacity as Iwata has stated, but will be called a "third tier" until it's known if it sells better. If NX then sells better than the Wii U, I expect the Wii U to be quietly and quickly discontinued in 2017, the same as the GBA. The 3DS still has a bit more hardware momentum and I think we're going to see a reversal of recent generations--the console will be replaced before the portable, and Nintendo may well be weighing the options of making the next portable either a kind of phone, or simply transitioning to mobile entirely.

If they're smart, they'll make the next portable system handheld game system (with proper controls) that can be used as a smartphone for any carrier. Picture a thinner 3DS, that, when closed, the surface has a smartphone screen and maybe even an Android OS, and when opened, becomes a portable game system. But if you don't want to use it as a phone, you don't have to.

Well, as long as they're profitable, it doesn't matter how much they sell.

@Quorthon if I recall, Bayo 2 didn't hit the Nintendo million units club, so they didn't feel like they should mention it? But it also sold within expectations and both games tracked better on Wii U than its last gen counterparts (If I'm not misremembering) it would seem odd to leave it off. Though perhaps it's more due to the fact it's not really a Nintendo IP, even if they published the darn thing. Baffled.

@JaxonH

My Wii was on it's last breath ages ago. I think that was Nintendo's least reliable hardware ever, though mine may have been a special case. It frequently soft-locked when trying to open games or channels and would open a black screen and just sit there. Sometimes for several minutes before actually opening a game or channel, or I just unplugged it and tried again. It was such a pain in the ass that it was just another thing preventing me from playing it. I was glad to move everything over to the Wii U and put it away. It is the only Nintendo hardware I own that is not hooked up.

My surprise with Bayonetta 2 in in part due to how much I actually kind of hated the first game. The combat was okay, but the story telling was atrocious and not a single character was likeable or relatable. In Bayo 2, not only was she given a non-sexist haircut (read: a hair style actual human women would wear), but her personality was greatly improved, her interactions with others were more sincere and humanized, the combat was far smoother, and Bad Italian Stereotype Jar Jar was not in the game for very long.

@Sir_JBizzle

At the very least, I would have expected some kind of corporate spin along the lines of "and Bayonetta 2 and Hyrule Warriors did great, too!" Beating expectations, or whatever--anything to put a positive spin on the games and help remind the public about their existence.

I think there's still a case of "Nintendo doesn't know what to do with M-rated properties" for Bayonetta or Fatal Frame (or Eternal Darkness or Geist). Disney grew up and found a way to make it work. Surely Nintendo can do the same.

@Captain_Gonru

I think it would be a huge boon for Nintendo to find a way to appeal equally to adults, kids, and their core fans, because appealing to adults in some capacity is going to be important for them to get back to relevancy. The "kiddie image" has been a plague on the company for damn long enough. They should never stop appealing to kids, but they need to recognize that some of us are in our 30's and grew up with the company, and grew up in general.

Nintendo needs an arm that appeals to Western and adult gaming flavors.

Wii U currently at Dreamcast level sales. Don't think they can reach the GameCube level at this point.

Hardware Sales (life to date) — 9.54 million units

I love it! Congrats Nintendo on the console may naysayers were speculating to die out around the 3 million mark.

Plenty more titles to release in 2015.

@Quorthon
The disc drive wasn't very good- I think that was usually the first thing to break. And it scratched discs over time- which sucks when you're a collector trying to keep everything nice and scratch free. The discs were also part of the problem though- Wii U discs seem much more durable and scratch resistant.

@Sir_JBizzle
I'm surprised myself If a game sucks me in though I typically finish it. Unfortunately there are many great games, games I know are great, that I quit playing because it didn't grab me with gale force in the first hr, and some new game arrives and I never get back to it.

I'm glad to see they're making a profit.pretty impressed with 460k wii sales i wonder what they're expecting to hit it's projected software sales though that squash game?.

@BinaryFragger
My neighbor's kid had issues with his original 3DS, the buttons broke actually. Me, I never had a problem. But you're right, te New3DS seems to be a much better build

@BinaryFragger

It might have just been my Wii, as I don't recall ever seeing anyone else with this bizarre "refuse to load channels" issue. I did notice, however, that it was significantly worse the more time passed between gaming sessions on the Wii. Which, when I was doing the vast bulk of my gaming on the X360, meant very long stretches with the Wii sitting unused. The original NES is finnicky as well, but it's design did not exactly come with a coating of longevity to begin with. I replaced the pin connector a couple years ago and that seemed to give it new life.

I haven't had any issues with my 3DS, except when the bottom screen fizzled when I rage quit a Fire Emblem match. Pressed the Home button a little too hard that day.