Nintendo says smartphone business will quadruple profits

The long-awaited debut on Nintendo on smartphones will have a dramatic effect on Nintendo’s profit, president Tatsumi Kimishima has said.

Its debut smartphone title Miitomo also remains on track for March, the exec had asserted.

The first fruits of Nintendo’s partnership with Japanese mobile publisher DeNA had been due out before the end of last year, but was pushed back to March. Now analyst Serkan Toto says that Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has said in a 2016 roadmap published in Japan that March remains the launch date for its social communication app Miitomo.

Furthermore, apps featuring more recognisable and triple-A Nintendo IP are also due in 2016, a move he hopes will elevate Nintendo’s fiscal performance to a new level”.

In fact, profits of 100bn is now the target within the next several” years – a 400% jump on its most recent annual profit.

Also confirmed are plans to reveal new details about the company’s mysterious NX console, although there has not yet been any sign of whether this can be expected before, during or after E3.

1) Nintendo president Kimishima just published his plans for 2016 in news paper Mainichi Shimbun (https://t.co/Nve3mKXbBR). Here's the gist:

— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) January 15, 2016

2) Kimishima says Nintendo wants to surprise fans with new ideas – not build on old ones. Nintendo will in 2016 release “details” on the NX.

— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) January 15, 2016

3) Kimishima claims the expansion to smartphones and theme parks, but also to movies and TV animes (via character licensing) is progressing.

— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) January 15, 2016

4) He says it’s vital for Nintendo to experiment with new business models. He confirms the first smartphone app will be rolled out in March.

— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) January 15, 2016

5) Kimishima promises smartphone apps with Nintendo’s famous characters in 2016. He wants to bring the company’s financials to a new level.

— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) January 15, 2016

6) The plan is to bring profits to 100 billion yen ($855 million) in “several years”. [Note: that would be 4x of last year's profit.] //end

— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) January 15, 2016