Thu, Oct 28, 2010 | 10:52 BST
Nintendo posts first FH 6-month loss in 7 years, DS sales crater
“Whoops”.
Nintendo just posted a six-month loss for the period ending September 30, 2010.
It’s the first time the company’s recorded a loss in the period for seven years.
The company recorded a ¥2.01 billion ($24.5 million) net income deficit for the period compared to a ¥69.5 billion ($854.5 million) profit in the same timeframe in 2009.
Overall sales fell dramatically compared to 2009, down to ¥363.2 billion ($4.47 billion) from ¥548.1 billion ($6.7 billion).
DS hardware sales cratered, down from 11.7 million units in the six months ending September 30, 2009 to 6.69 million this year.
DS software, predictably, maintained decent strength. Global sales fell from 71.2 million units in the half-year last year to 54.8 million in 2010.
Wii hardware held up relatively well compared to DS. The ageing machine was down to 4.97 million global sales for the period, compared to 5.75 million in the year previous.
Wii software, as well, managed to “fall” as opposed to “sky-dive”. Sales for the six months ending September 2010 stood at 65.2 million units compared to 76.2 million in the previous year.
Nintendo’s next hardware release will be 3DS, hitting globally in February and March next year.
Get the full report here.
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14 
Posted in: DS, Financials, Hot, Nintendo, Wii
Tags: nintendo six-month financials 2010
14 comments
#1
Johnny Cullen
28/10/10, 9:01 am
/in before bandwagon.
OH NOEZ, THE END IS NEAR!
#2
locus2k1
28/10/10, 9:12 am
With the new 3DS around the corner, it would be expected that the DS would take a battering in sales.
#3
Bringit
28/10/10, 9:13 am
Wii and DS have developed a toy-like lifecycle, where they sell millions at Christmas and barely any at all for the rest of the year.
Those six months don’t matter. The next six months, do matter.
#4
Blerk
28/10/10, 9:35 am
Even if you discount the hardware, that’s a hell of a drop in DS software sales! Ouch!
#5
Psychotext
28/10/10, 10:24 am
That’s an astonishing change in fortune. It’s hard to think that Nintendo have gone from making multiple billions in profit per year to making quarterly losses.
They’ll still be good over the year (thanks mostly to xmas)… but it can’t be massively encouraging for them.
#6
Patrick Garratt
28/10/10, 10:28 am
This is Nintendo’s first first-half six-month loss in seven years.
#7
chronoss2
28/10/10, 10:43 am
that’s not a problem, we all know that Nintendo machines life cycle is not that long. I think they will release a new console in early 2012 after they will announce it during next E3.
No i’m not Pachter’s son hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
#8
Blerk
28/10/10, 10:49 am
It’ll certainly be interesting to see if they can repeat the success with their next machines or whether they were just a fluke. I’m guessing the 3DS will most likely do well, but I think a Wii successor would probably be a much harder sell.
#9
Old MacDonald
28/10/10, 10:56 am
8: Yeah, they’d need to come up with something pretty remarkable for that to happen. A Wii HD just won’t cut it, since that’s essentially what Kinect and Move makes the 360 and PS3.
But hey, they’ve done it before.
#10
freedoms_stain
28/10/10, 12:48 pm
Nintendo don’t make a loss on hardware though, right? So what have they been spending their dosh on?
Console development perhaps?
#11
Psychotext
28/10/10, 12:51 pm
Most of the loss this year is due to currency conversion issues. I’d explain that in more depth… but I fear my brain would explode.
#12
Tonka
28/10/10, 12:53 pm
Nintendo am doomed. The 3DS ain’t all that different to the DS and the world has moved on.
And as other have said, their next homeconslol will be an equally hard sell.
Bye bye Ninty, nice knowing you.
;_;
#13
Michael O’Connor
28/10/10, 12:59 pm
In fairness to the DS, it’s sales have already reached saturation point. It’s managed to sell in five years what the PS2 managed in five.
When your gaming device has reached that platue of market penetration, there isn’t many people left to sell it to.
This has nothinge to do with “people moving on.” A gaming machine’s lifespan is heavily inspired by how many units it sells. When you’ve reached everyone you can, it’s time for a new machine.
#14
The_Deleted
29/10/10, 12:28 am
We seem to be forgetting: Everyone has a DS! They can’t sell any more because no one else needs one. Their are tribes in deepest darkest Peru looking forward to Scribblenauts 2!