Nintendo reports its first profitable year since 2011

By Kris Wouk Published May 7, 2015

nintendo nx mobile games e3 2015 stale ideas for reinvention — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Despite its valuable brand, Nintendo has had a rough few years. The Wii U hasn’t sold nearly as well as its predecessor, and while the Nintendo 3DS and now New Nintendo 3DS are good sellers, that hasn’t been enough to keep the company from reporting annual losses. Until now, that is.

For the first time since 2011, Nintendo has announced a profit. Specifically, it saw a ¥41 billion ($350 million) profit for the last fiscal year ending March 31. This stands in stark contrast to last year, which saw losses of ¥23 billion ($193 million).

Recommended Videos

Worldwide sales of the Nintendo 3DS family reached 8.7 million units in the last year. The New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL “got off to a good start and continued to sell well,” according to Nintendo’s latest financial report (PDF link). Despite good sales, sales of older models in the 3DS family “did not grow as anticipated.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Looking at game sales, Pokémon Omega Ruby / Pokémon Alpha Sapphire sold 9.94 million units, while Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS sold 6.75 million units. Tomodachi Life, Mario Kart 7, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D each sold more than 2 million units.

The Wii U didn’t sell nearly as well as the 3DS at 3.38 million units, though games for the system sold well. Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U sold 5.11 and 3.65 million units respectively. Combined sales of Wii U software totaled 24.40 million units.

Wii U sales are still lagging well behind the original Wii. As of March 31, it had only sold just over 9.5 million units worldwide, while the Wii has sold over 100 million (PDF link).

Looking toward the next fiscal year, Nintendo expects to make a profit of ¥35 billion ($293 million). The company is expecting its deal with DeNA to sell smartphone games to be a nice new source of revenue, and expects new Amiibo cards and yarn-knitted Amiibo figures to increase Amiibo sales.

Nintendo also has other plans for diversification in the works. Today it announced that it will bring Nintendo-themed rides and attractions to Universal theme parks.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

Gaming

As the 3DS eShop closes, devs reflect on a golden age of Nintendo indies

Best Nintendo 3DS games

The 3DS eShop is no longer allowing Nintendo fans to make new game purchases, marking the end of a long era of DS-branded handhelds. Not only that, but it's also sunsetting a vibrant indie community in the process. After helping smaller developers break through with WiiWare and DSiWare, the 3DS eShop was where indies really started to flourish on Nintendo consoles. Multiple games and developers built success stories on the platform, starting series that are still recognized in the eyes of Nintendo fans and stand as some of the 3DS’ most iconic games.

Within a year of the eShop's launch, WayForward's Mighty Switch Force provided one of the system's best 3D experiences, Renegade Kid's Mutant Mudd showed the potential of a platformer where players can hop between the foreground and background, and Hörberg Productions' Gunman Clive provided a short, sweet, and cheap throwback platformer experience with lots of styles. By 2014, Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight had cemented itself as one of the best indie games of all time on the 3DS. Titles like that gave the 3DS a reputation as a haven for smaller developers. a platform where they could break out of a niche and connect with a larger audience.

Gaming

You need to get this oddball Zelda game for free before the 3DS eShop closes

legend of zelda twilight princess nintendo wii grandma grandmother reddit 755 hours

The day of reckoning is fast approaching: The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop isclosing down on March 27. When that happens, you’ll no longer be able to make any digital purchases on those systems. Considering that several games on each platform only ever got digital releases, it’s creating a bit of a preservation nightmare. Hidden gems that never came to another platform, like Affordable Space Adventures, will be totally lost to time.

But it isn’t just obscure indies that are impacted by that change: One of Nintendo’s biggest franchises is about to lose a piece of its storied history. You’ve only got just over a week to grab a certain Legend of Zelda game before it disappears forever -- though it’s probably not one you’re expecting.

Gaming

Grab these Nintendo 3DS games before the eShop closes

wii u 3ds exclusive nintendo games eshop closure ever oasis

While the Nintendo 3DS had a rocky launch, the handheld system recovered gracefully and ended up having one of the best game lineups of any Nintendo system. Many of these 3DS games, like Super Mario 3D Land and Fire Emblem Awakening, were very popular and well-known. Still, the 3DS had a lot of fantastic games that not as many people know about and threaten to be lost to time when the eShop closes down.
The 3DS eShop will shut down soon, preventing people from purchasing new games. As such, we've been reflecting on the system's vast library and all of the fantastic games that 3DS owners will no longer be able to buy digitally. From games that we think will skyrocket even further in price after the store shuts down to some enjoyable hidden gems that didn't get the attention they deserve, you might want to snag these 3DS games before you can't anymore after March 27.
Ever Oasis

Grezzo is one of Nintendo's most underrated developers. It's delivered top-notch The Legend of Zelda remakes like Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Link's Awakening. So what if I told you that it used that experience to make an original IP for 3DS that's one of the best-looking and expansive games on the system? Ever Oasis, a 2017 3DS game, follows a young kid as they help a water spirit named Esna build an oasis and try to save their brother from Chaos.
The result is a mix of 3D The Legend of Zelda and city management games. Players can venture out into surprisingly large open worlds and dungeons to restock and grow the number of "bloom booths." This mix of open-world exploration, dungeon crawling, and oasis-building will keep players engaged for dozens of hours, and it also stands as one of the deepest and best-looking action-adventure games on the platform.
Ever Oasis didn't get much attention when it launched because the Nintendo Switch had been released a couple of months earlier. Still, it stands as one of the 3DS' best games, so it's a shame that more people don't know about it. It risks being forgotten forever now the 3DS eShop is closing down, so check it out before the closure; it will surpass your expectations.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney