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Nintendo Finances Continue To Improve As Wii U Finally Breaks 10 Million
Nintendo has reported its financial performance for the first quarter of its 2016 fiscal year. The company has Amiibo and Splatoon to thank for better than expected results.
The company reported a 20.8 percent increase in sales over this quarter last year. The ¥90.2 billion ($730.5 million) in revenue with 1.62 million copies of Splatoon shipped and continuing strong performance of Amiibo.
Operating income of ¥1.1 billion ($9.3 million) for the quarter showed a marked increase over last year, which saw an operating loss of ¥9.5 billion ($76.7 million). Nintendo also has reason to celebrate the Wii U finally reaching a long overdue milestone.
As of this quarter, the console has finally reached the 10 million units shipped mark. Unfortunately, quarterly sales of the system have dropped year over year from 510,000 to to 470,000.
Nintendo’s fall lineup also appears in the supplemental information. Highlights include Super Mario Maker, Yoshi’s Woolly World, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Star Fox Zero, and Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water.
For more on Nintendo, you can read a recent feature exploring how Nintendo might address its leadership following the tragic death of CEO Satoru Iwata.
[Source: Nintendo]
Our Take
If you had asked me a year ago what I expected from Splatoon, it wouldn’t have been this kind of overwhelming success. As I’ve mentioned previously, it’s a pleasant surprise and one that evidences the kind of unique charm that Nintendo can bring to established genres.
While it’s good news that the Wii U has finally reached the 10 million unit mark, the drop in sales quarter over quarter is troublesome. Without a heavy hitter for the masses this fall in The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo can and should fall back on titles like Mario Kart and Smash for bundling purposes.
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