Raiden

Nintendo just released its financial results for the first nine months of fiscal year 2015, ending on December 31st, 2015. Income numbers were all in the black, with a slight decrease year-on-year in net sales. On the other hand, there was a substantial increase in operating income

More interestingly, we get an update on hardware and software shipments for Wii U and 3DS.

This means that in the three months between October and December, including the Holiday season, the company shipped 1.87 million Wii U units, and 3.6 million 3DS units worldwide.

The company from Kyoto also provided a statement via press release, with an in-depth analysis of the results. Unsurprisingly, Super Mario Maker and Splatoon take front and center stage on the Wii U scenario, with 3.34 million units and 4.06 million units shipped respectively.

We also get the profit forecast for the full fiscal year. Again, Super Mario Maker and Splatoon are a focus of Nintendo’s short-term plans for their home console. The company did not change its previous forecast of 50 billion yen operating income by the end of the fiscal year, meaning that they expect to earn about 7.5 billion yen in the current quarter, ending on March 31st.

“During the nine month period ended December 31, 2015, for Nintendo 3DS, “New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL,” both of which launched during the previous period as the newest members of the Nintendo 3DS family, made up the bulk of the Nintendo 3DS hardware sales. As for the Nintendo 3DS software, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer became a hit by selling 2.93 million units globally, while in  overseas markets, popular titles such as Pokémon Omega Ruby/Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS which were released during the previous fiscal year showed steady sales. In the Japanese market, titles such as Rhythm Tengoku (Japanese title) and Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright/Conquest gained popularity.  In addition, some third-party titles sold over a million units as well. As a result, the global sales of the Nintendo 3DS hardware and software were 5.88 million and 38.87 million units respectively.

With respect to Wii U, Splatoon sold 4.06 million units and Super Mario Maker sold 3.34 million units, making both titles blockbusters that vitalized the Wii U platform. In addition, Yoshi’s Woolly World, which was released during this period, and evergreen titles released in the previous period such as Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U showed steady sales. The global sales of the Wii U hardware and software reached 3.06 million and 22.62 million units respectively.

For amiibo, the figure-type and the card-type sold approximately 20.50 million units and approximately 21.50 million units, respectively, and the platform showed strong performance globally without losing momentum. Furthermore, sales of additional download content for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U increased and total download sales reached 30.5 billion yen. As a result, net sales were 425.6 billion yen (of which overseas sales were 308.9 billion yen or 72.6% of the total sales) and operating income was 42.4 billion yen. Ordinary income was 55.2 billion yen and profit attributable to owners of parent was 40.5 billion yen.”

“For Nintendo 3DS, we will globally release a special edition hardware pre-installed with Pokémon title(s) from the original Pokémon series on February 27 which marks the 20th year since the original Pokémon series release. Furthermore, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and key titles from third-party publishers are scheduled for release.

For Wii U, we will strive to maintain the attention level of Splatoon and Super Mario Maker, which are continuing to show steady sales, while introducing new titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD.

Meanwhile, for amiibo, we will continue to expand the product lineup in order to maintain momentum. At the same time, we will aim to further expand sales by offering new gaming experiences with the use of amiibo. In addition, the first application for smart devices, Miitomo, is scheduled for release. There is no revision to the consolidated financial forecast for this fiscal year, announced on May 7, 2015.”

Lastly, a detailed breakdown of sales by hardware model, including a forecast of shipments for the full fiscal year. In particular, Nintendo forecasts the shipment total of 3.4 million Wii U units during the whole fiscal year (from April 1st, 2015 to March 31st, 2016), and 7.6 millon 3DS units.

Interestingly, the new The Legend of Zelda for Wii U is nos listed as a 2016 release again, after being labeled as “TBD” in last quarter’s financial documents. Fans can now breathe easier. Genei Ibun Roku #FE is also confirmed for both Europe and North America with a 2016 release, but unfortunately we didn’t get a narrowed down window compared to what we already knew.