Nintendo income plummets

Slowing demand for the DS and the strength of the Japanese YEN have lead to a punishing quarter for platform holder Nintendo.

For the quarter ending June 30th operating income fell by a considerable 42.2 per cent year-on-year to YEN 40.4bn. Sales dropped by 25.6 per cent to YEN 188.6bn. The news is all the more disturbing when you consider that the same period in 2009 saw a 60.6 per cent drop in profits.

3.04m Wii consoles were sold in the period – a number that’s actually up on 2009 when 2.23m consoles were shifted. 3.15m DS units were sold in the period, however, which is significantly down on the 5.97m sold in the same period last year.

Wii software sales hit 28.17m units and DS software sales reached 22.42m.

If anything, the numbers backup Nintendo’s timing in its introduction of a true successor to the DS in the form of the 3DS, which could hit the Japanese market as early as the end of the year.

There were some big software hits, however, with Super Mario Galaxy shifting 4.09m units, Wii Sports resort 3.02m, Wii Sports 2.73m, Wii Fit Plus 1.87m and New Super Mario Bros Wii 1.1m.

For the full year ending March 31st 2011 Nintendo still expects a ten per cent drop in profits to YEN 320bn.