Nintendo’s latest Switch gaming console is expected to generate more than double annual operating profit for the company this year, ending its 8-year sales decline, Reuters is reporting. The early success of the Switch has fueled hope of a long-term earnings recovery for the Japanese firm, sending its share price about 20% higher since the console’s March debut.
Nintendo’s President Tatsumi Kimishima said at a news briefing on Thursday, “We are hoping to change the tide of our business with the Switch”. The company expects its profit to grow 2.2-fold to nearly $584 million in the year through March 2018, with sales jumping 53.3%. He said that Nintendo aims to sell 10 million of the hybrid home console and handheld device this financial year, on top of a higher-than-expected 2.7 million sold in its debut month.
“If the 10 million target is achieved … that means the sales momentum would be close to the Wii,” Nintendo’s most successful console, Kimishima said.
Profit from a new console typically peaks a couple of years after launch when there is a wide choice of game titles. Kimishima also said Nintendo’s first own-brand smartphone game, Super Mario Run, has neared 150 million free downloads, but the number of users paying the one-off fee to unlock most of its content is below the target 10 percent.
Some analysts however remain skeptical about the sustainability of the sales momentum, and believe that Nintendo’s ongoing success is vulnerable to the structural shortage of third-party titles, deficient online offering, and weaker graphics, as compared to Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One.
The Nintendo Switch is still sold out at most stores and hard to find. Click here to pre-order Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for 20% off if you’re a Prime member–the game launches tomorrow so it’s your last chance to get it on sale.
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I’m not ashamed to admit that I bought the Switch just for Zelda. Soon as I finished the game, I returned the console for a full refund. Why keep it when there’s nothing else I want to play?
Ha! Thats great. I wish I could get my hands on one to do the same. Almost just need to buy one and rent it out to other people to play the same game.
I was just at a Shoppers Drug Mart down in Niagara and they had 3 of them.
I have no time to play the new Zelda game. I’m too busy hunting robot dinosaurs…
Lol
wife has one, was able to snag one from the source. was home when one of there hunting sites buzzed. She has been playing zelda for days lol lots of fun. She mainly got it for the game, as the wiiU didn’t meet its promise. its cool and really small actually. Truth is, hardware wise its not better then a mini, its just got content you won’t get on other stuff. she preorder mario kart so that should be fun. I help her with fighting bosses occasionally but I get frustrated with how the buttons layout is all wrong compared to xbox or ps. And there is no option to changes it. Hope its gets better, and seriously hope Nintendo does well. But its a cute system for cute games, not into cute
You absolutely have to play Zelda with the Pro Controller. All other ways of playing the game are subpar, especially if you’re used to Xbox and other controllers. The joycons are not comfortable regardless if you play in handheld or dock mode. The Pro Controller is the best and I would argue the only way to play.
still the buttons seem off to me, but I have gotten the hang of it enough to where my fighting skills are sought after when a particular tough challenge is encountered. I often hear the call from the next room lol