Nintendo has today revealed its financial results for Q1 of the 2015 / 2016 year, with the three months reported representing a relatively quiet spell in terms of major software arrivals. With that said, the results bring profits, and notably Nintendo is sticking with its original projections for end-of-year success.
To begin with the key Q1 financial figures — covering 1st April 2015 to 30th June 2015 — we have a net income profit of 8,284 million yen, which amounts to around $70 million / £43 million / €60.6 million. The core business of making and selling products also brings an operating profit of 1,149 million Yen, which is around $9.3 million / £6 million / €8.4 million; these are tiny profits, but notably sales are reported as being 20.8% up on the equivalent three months last year. The sales of amiibo are cited as particularly strong, and the report says the following regarding the key products to come.
For Nintendo 3DS, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer will be released in July for Japan, in September for the United States, and in October for Europe, while Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon will be released in September for Japan, by the end of this calendar year for the United States, and in early 2016 for Europe. Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash will be released globally by this fall and The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes will be released globally by the end of this calendar year. Furthermore, a number of key titles from third-party publishers are scheduled for release. With such activities, we aim to further expand the Nintendo 3DS business.
For Wii U, by maintaining the attention level of Splatoon, which enjoyed a good start, we will strive to further enhance the sales toward the year-end sales season. Yoshi's Woolly World (released in June for Europe) will be released in July for Japan and in October for the United States. Super Mario Maker will be released in September globally and titles such as Star Fox Zero and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash will be released sequentially. We also aim to maintain the performance of already-released titles with strong sales potential by introducing additional download content.
Meanwhile, for amiibo, we will continue to expand the product lineup. At the same time, we aim to stimulate demand for amiibo from owners of the original Nintendo 3DS hardware systems by releasing the Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer accessory (for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS), which will be launched simultaneously with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.
In addition, we expect to secure a new source of revenue from a gaming application for smart devices, which will be released by the end of this calendar year.
Financial targets for the full year — 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016 — remain the same, with the goal of an operating profit of 50 billion Yen, around $419 million / £275 million / €368 million, and a net income profit of 35 billion Yen, roughly $293 million / £193 million / €258 million.
Moving on to hardware and software sales, Splatoon "contributed to vitalizing the Wii U platform", shifting 1.62 million units up to the end of June; a total of 4.55 million Wii U games were sold, giving Splatoon - amazingly - well over a third of all game sales for the system. In terms of the 3DS 7.92 million games were sold, with Fire Emblem Fates being a particularly big seller in Japan.
In terms of hardware sales, meanwhile, figures are modest but the yearly targets are the same - Q1 is often particularly quiet for sales. Figures are below, with the Wii U notably squeezing past 10 million lifetime sales.
Wii U
Hardware Sales (Q1) — 470,000 units
Hardware Sales (life to date) — 10.01 million units
Hardware Sales Projection (2015 to 2016) — 3.4 million units
3DS
Hardware Sales (Q1) — 1.01 million units
Hardware Sales (life to date) — 53.07 million units
Hardware Sales Projection (2015 to 2016) — 7.6 million units
Wii
Hardware Sales (Q1) — 40,000 units
Hardware Sales (life to date) — 101.56 million units
Hardware Sales Projection (2015 to 2016) — 100,000 units
A fairly successful quarter for Nintendo, even though various figures are modest. The company has maintained its targets for the year, and it's notable how vital Splatoon has been for Wii U sales. The most important results will come later in the year with Holiday sales, and once the company's first smart device game launches.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 63
That's very good news!
I said at the start of last year I thought 2014 was going to be the peak of Wii U sales and I can't see that changing now. The Q1 figures are down 8% compared to last year, and I'd be surprised if Q3 matches last year as there won't be Smash Bros this year. Still, a decent price cut towards the end of the year could still see them top 2014's figures. It's not exactly a big target!
Splatoon really was good enough to secure Nintendo a profit, who knew?
I think it's safe to say that Splatoon will eventually get a sequel after its runaway success. Not bad for a 'dead' console, eh?
"We also aim to maintain the performance of already-released titles with strong sales potential by introducing additional download content."
More DLC for Mario Kart 8? I sure hope so.
@Peach64 But Smash Bros came out Q4 2014. I know that Hyryle Warriors was Q3 2014, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
@OorWullie Same. When did they originally announce that Mario Kart 8 was going to get DLC Pack 1 and 2?
Not to mention Nintendo Share price had almost doubled since a year ago ! 😀
@Takerkaneanite6 It was originally announced at the end of August.Feeling optimistic we'll be getting more after reading this.
Too bad they didn't say anything about how Xenoblade X performed overall. Well maybe that's to be expected since it's still not released in the west. But it wouldn't hurt to know how it fared over in Japan.
If only Zelda was coming this year, then the Wii U might hit 15million lifetime sales.
The 3DS is doing terrifically well - given the handheld device market
I guess it's tough to stomach the Wii U doing under 20 million lifetime sales even 2 years from now... NX can't come soon enough!
Splatoon still didn't create as big an uptick on Wii U sales as Mario Kart 8. The rest of the games slated for Wii U, especially Mario Maker, will only really appeal to existing Nintendo fans / Wii U owners. My feeling is that Wii U will remain a console with a small but very loyal fanbase.
@Takerkaneanite6 Sorry, was talking financial quarters. So Q1 is Apr-Jun, Q2 is Jul-Sep, Q3 is Oct-Dec (and the big one, where the major releases come, and often surpasses the other 3 Quarters combined in terms of sales figures and money made), Q4 is Jan-Mar.
@zyph The Japanese figures are reported every week. It's sold just over 100,000 copies over there. Splatoon has done 430,000 copies, but it's still selling. Xenoblade has dropped out of the top 50 chart which means it's doing under 1000 a week now.
Profit is profit I guess. Could be loads better though.
I can't see the WiiU meeting this sales next year since they have said 2016 we'll get NX news and gamers will hold off to see what happens there sadly.
Great news about splatoon though! Really great! I should play it, only played in for a day or two lol
And the 3ds! Great little system isn't it!
Feels like the Wii U was stuck at 9 million sold forever! Splatoon deserves it's success, easily the best game on Wii U
Ping Quorthon to come up with "analysis" of DOOOOOOOM!
Profit is profit, I am happy with it.
Iwata did what he said he would, turned the ship back around this year. R.I.P. Mr.Iwata
Any profit is better than losing money.
Quite a bit above all analyst predictions. Relatively speaking, a good quarter for Nintendo. Revenue, profit, and operating income are all up year over year.
By the end of the fiscal year, Mario Kart 8 will pass Super Circuit in sales and Splatoon could be as high as 2.5 million, depending on how the holidays go.
I still read these quoted Nintendo financial reports in Satoru Iwata's voice in my head..
@cfgk24 Share price may have doubled but it was pitifully low a year ago and a long way off what it was 7 or 8 years ago...
Just cracked a tenner. Good for Wii U, double digits finally. It's still such a poorly selling piece of hardware for the market it's in. But I guess it's days are numbered and certainly retailers be countin down. Had mine since day one so I feel like we've had some good years for what it was
It's just baaad that Nintendo hasn't figure out how to make this console sell even as well as the GameCube, it's lowest selling home console ever, and it likely never will
W00t keep it up Nintendo!
10 million!!! Took em long enough, though
How is their revenue so low? It should be like a Billion!
Also, why aren't we getting revealing of some game sale figures like Kid Icarus Uprising or FE : A?
I really hope it'll get to at least 20 million lifetime sales.
Wii U sales are still behind PS Vita, right?...
It's absolutely crazy to me how bad the Wii U has done when, in my opinion, its had some of the best games Nintendo has ever created on it.
Now let's kill it off and start late to the game with a mobile platform LOLZ
Hold my hands up, was not playing on my Wii U much at all until recently, however with the release of Yoshi's Woolly World & Splatoon I'm more into my Wii U right now than ever before, I also have a huge backlog of some of the best Wii U games you can buy and I'm really starting to appreciate of late just how good some of these Wii U EXCLUSIVE's are, right now the Wii U is my favourite console out at this time.
Only game that has pulled me away now and again is Batman on PS4.
It's good news but it's bad, it's bad!
You can stop reading the comments now, this will sum up the overwhelming majority of them!
@rferrari24 yes, according to vcharts, Vita has slightly over 12 million units sold.
I'm sure the usual Negative Nancys of NLife (you know who) are crying into their business degrees as we speak.
Nintendo WILL die! Even if it takes another 126 years!
They are 2.93 million units shy of their target hardware sales numbers. Splatoon will continue to sell, but I'm not sure how many units it will move. The only other games that I can imagine increasing sales is Star Fox (some, but not a ton), Xenoblade (with advertising, maybe), and Mario Maker (will at least move some, but could potentially be a lot). Really, I don't see it happening, unless (and this is a big what if) they release Zelda after the holiday season in Q1 2016. That would move millions of units by itself. Either they just hinted at it's release date or they are just being stubborn with their projections.
Thanks good!
I say this all the time but Nintendo either needs to court 3rd parties more eloquently or beef up their internal studios so they can get a more consistent software release schedule.
Very good news! Keep it up, Nintendo!
These are great results. Analysts predicted losses. Way to go Nintendo!
Cool, by the time they stop selling Wii Us they should have 11 million sold.
I've said before that I seriously think that if Wii U had launched with Splatoon and Mario Maker, they would have sold more consoles. Shame the great games are coming in at the end of the system's run.
I am glad to see the Wii U finally cross the 10 million mark. Its only a psychological figure, but it is important to reach that mark. Bravo to Splatoon...I thought it would be a flop, but I am glad I was wrong! Still haven't played it...I'm more into hardcore shooters, but I will admit my interest is a bit more peaked given how much everyone enjoys it.
@TwilightAngel
Expectations are low, but the sales trend is growing and positive. The Wii U will never be the PS4 sales wise, but I do enjoy mine quite a bit. Truth be told, I own all the consoles, except the PS4! I maybe in the minority, but I believe the games are better on the Wii U and the Xbox One, and both are an overall much better value. There's no exclusive I would want to play currently on the PS4...perhaps No Man's Sky will change that.
God I really hope they don't do more DLC for MK8, it will just start making the series more and more bland for its sequels.
@ericwithcheese2 There's still a ton of games I need to play on there but I agree with ya, my favorites are SM 3D World, Pikmin 3, Tropical Freeze, Splatoon, and RE Revalations. I'd say Wind Waker too but that's more GameCube.
Yeay! I was always confident that the sales numbers would improve as soon as more great Nintendo games (MK, Smash, Splatoon, Mario Maker) would be released, accompanied by the right amount of marketing and internet hype.
To quote our beloved late president Iwata: "Software sells hardware".
Awesome figures for Splatoon! 1.62 million in a month. Might get to 2 million before the end of Q2.
While the hardware front isn't too strong Splatoon at 1.62 million in one month would be extraordinary on any platform for a new IP that doesn't follow popular trends.
Before it launched I'm sure some of our caustic business experts here would have suggested it wouldn't sell 1 million in it's life time. I wouldn't be surprised if they bring Splatoon to NX for launch(with NX players able to play against WiiU players) and/or Splatoon 2 somwhere down the line.
I am impressed at Splatoon reaching quite the numbers as it is.
@Dr_Lugae The majority of gamers who frequent forums and threads predicted Splatoon to flop - even gamers on some Nintendo sites. I'm glad it did well because it will encourage Nintendo to keep trying new IPs , unlike the indifferent response to Codename Steam or Wonderful 101. Check this link for a sample of the predictions that were made for Splatoon. Well worth a chuckle. http://neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=169576814
The most shocking number in that report: 40,000 Wii sold?!?
Mixed bag as usual. Solid 3DS numbers, Wii U continues to struggle a painful struggle, good to see profit, great result for Splatoon.
Decent result, I guess... It looks like Nintendo yearly result will depend solely on Super Mario Maker, sure Starfox, Mario Tennis and Splatoon will help, along with some 3DS releases (no heavy hitter from Nintendo like Pokemon main series on 3DS this year, most is spin-off), so it seems a huge of the burden is on SMM to carry. Hopefully it'll do well.
I can't believe Splatoon made so many people actually buy a Wii U. Too bad it basically a dead console, hopefully Nintendo smakes me in the face and prove me wrong soon.
Nintendo's stock is going up like 10%. This profit apparently is huge news and it's before launching new console, new sleep technology or whatever, before that smartphone stuff... great news for Nintendo.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
If only EA, Ubisoft and Activision weren't being such jerk-offs the Wii U might've had more momentum.
Alas, the quality of turd-party games pales in comparison to Nintendo productions, so frankly I could care less about them. Last thing I really want to put up with are a bunch of dudebros who'll buy anything with G, T and A who will also buy anything with excessive machismo marketing and redundant gameplay.
Edit: Who's censoring my posts? A muppet?
@kensredemption And this is coming from the guy that has a PS4 and a PSN? Really? LOL
@kensredemption.
You're the absolute worst kind of fanboy. Beat it.
@kensredemption Because no one is capable of making decent software but Nintendo?
Have fun missing out on all the great games out there. You just stick with your Nintendo only motto while I enjoy Fallout,Arkham Knight, mirror's edge2,uncharted 4 and so many more.
Another 600K and it'll surpass the Dreamcast. Job nicely done.
Great, just 600,000 more to start surpassing the Dreamcast...
Holy crap, and I thought 21 million Gamecubes shipped was bad... 10 million sold is absolutely abysmal at this late point, no matter how much anyone can try to sugar coat it. That's a wrap, try again with the NX.
So many people gave the Wii crap, but it pushed 100 million. That's excellent by even the highest standards! It might be Nintendo's last great console... We will see.
Splatoon is doing impressively well, though... Too bad it wasn't out a couple of years earlier.
Splatoon accounted for one third of Wii-U lifetime software sales? Did I hear that right?
People are actually still buying the original Wii!? It's outdated and irrelevant.
Wii U sold 470,000, that's great considering lifetime sales are 10.01 million
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