Nintendo has recorded a loss of US$97 million for the first fiscal quarter ending 30 June, the Japanese publisher’s third quarterly loss in four quarters. Revenues were US$729 million, down 8.4 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Nintendo sold 510,000 Wii units in the quarter, compared to 310,000 sold in the previous quarter. The Nintendo Wii U has sold a total of 6.68 million units worldwide since the console’s launch in late 2012.
Mario Kart 8 for Wii U, a major first-party title which launched in May, sold more than 2.82 million copies worldwide in the period.
The company also sold in 820,000 3DS handheld consoles in the quarter. The Nintendo 3DS has shipped more than 44 million units globally since 2011.
Despite the poor results, Nintendo predicts a net profit of US$195 million for the fiscal year. Wii U shipments are forecast to hit 3.6 units, and upcoming Bayonetta 2, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Super Smash Bros., Hyrule Warriors, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire titles, as well as the new Amiibo NFC figurines, are expected to sell strongly.
“Nintendo appears to be on track to deliver growth, with Q1 hardware sales of 500,000 units up from 160,000 units a year ago, and software sales of 4.39 million units up from 1.03 million units,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. “The growth was driven in large part by new release Mario Kart 8, and we expect Super Smash Bros. to have an even greater impact later this year.”
