Nintendo has released its earnings for the first half of 2012, and there’s good and bad news. While the company lost 29.2 billion yen ($366 million) from April to September, the flow of money out of the company has been stemmed somewhat; last year’s equivalent figure was a loss of 57.3 billion yen ($718 million). Overall Nintendo’s total assets actually increased 2.85% over the course of the past six months.
Nintendo halves operating loss from a year ago despite falling Wii and DS sales
Over 5 million 3DS consoles moved ahead of Wii U launch
Over 5 million 3DS consoles moved ahead of Wii U launch
Sales continued to fall almost across the board, however. The DS and Wii, both coming towards the end of their life cycles, sold 970,000 and 1.32 million units respectively — drops of 62.4 percent and 60.6 percent. The 3DS, on the other hand, was the one bright spot; sales were up 64.8 percent for a total of 5.06 million units, of which 2.1 million were the newer (and more expensive) XL model.
Nintendo expects to get a further boost from the launch of the Wii U next month, forecasting sales of 5.5 million units in the second half of its fiscal year. With the 3DS performing well, the company will be hoping for a smooth transition into the next generation.
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