Nintendo has released their numbers for their 2013 financial year, and sadly, it’s another shocking loss.
Nintendo has reported a 46.4 billion yen (which is something like $489 million AUD) loss as WiiU sales fail to pick up throughout the year. The first quarter of 2014 has seen the WiiU sell 310,000 units and the 3DS 590,000 units, with lifetime sales of 6.17 million and 43.33 million units respectively. the WiiU has failed to bring any momentum since it’s release, and given the competition of Microsoft and Sony’s consoles, things are looking bleak for the console. The 3DS is performing admirably though, and it’s total sales figure is nothing to scoff at.
Nintendo looks to return to the black with a forecast of 40 billion yen in the 2014 fiscal year, though this should be taken with a grain of salt considering the slowing sales of the 3DS and the poor sales of the WiiU.
The future for current boss Satoru Itawa looks quite bleak, as he needs to prove to shareholders that these losses are only temporary. Shares of Nintendo have fallen 26% since the start of 2014.
Obviously the release of Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros will help boost sales, but will it be enough to bring Nintendo out of the red? Hopefully a healthy price for Australian consumers will help boost popularity for the waning console, the first HD capable Nintendo console released.
