Nintendo's six-month sales, profit double

Game giant takes $1.16 billion profit as Wii installed base surpasses 13 million worldwide; international sales of DS near 54 million.

A month after it first took the honor, Nintendo today was once again named the second-most valuable corporation in Japan. Like its rival Sony, the Kyoto-based game giant has also reported its results for the six months ending September 30, which saw both its revenues and profits double.

Sales for the half-year totaled ¥694.80 billion ($6.10 billion), a 132 percent increase over the revenue brought in during the same stretch of time in 2006. Nintendo's net profits grew even faster: The company took home ¥132.42 billion ($1.16 billion) for the half-year, almost 144 percent more than it earned in the comparable period last year. Such huge percentage increases in the game maker's financial fortunes are likely done with for now, given that future results will be compared against the company's strong performance in the wake of the Wii launch.

Nintendo attributed its success to a strong lineup of DS games such as Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (6.95 million sold for the half-year) and the Brain Age series (5.19 million sold in six months). Hardware-wise, the company sold 13.35 million DS systems for the half-year, which brought the lifetime installed base up to 53.64 million worldwide.

The Wii also played a big part in the company's success. The company sold 7.33 million Wii systems in the first half of its fiscal year, which brought the worldwide installed base up to nearly 13.17 million. Mario Party 8 was the only Wii game for which sales figures were provided (2.89 million), but Wii Sports (which is sold separately from the system in some countries) and Wii Play (which comes bundled with a Wii Remote) were said to enjoy "favorable sales."

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, Nintendo is expecting to rack up sales of ¥1.55 trillion ($13.61 billion), 60 percent higher than the previous year, with net income up almost 58 percent to ¥275 billion ($2.41 billion).

283 Comments

  • violentmonkey

    Posted Nov 28, 2007 11:50 am GMT

    Finally! Thnk you georgie_daniel. Finally somone who knows there gaming faqs. And i do agree with edhc44.

  • MichaeltheCM

    Posted Nov 1, 2007 12:23 am GMT

    way to go Nintendo maybe Sony and Microsoft can learn something here

  • RockHardNuts

    Posted Oct 31, 2007 8:01 pm GMT

    Nintendo keeps on steamrolling the competition

  • wiifan001

    Posted Oct 31, 2007 7:41 am GMT

    Oh and let's not forget The Wii Zapper and Link's Crossbow Training
    (see post below)

  • wiifan001

    Posted Oct 31, 2007 7:38 am GMT

    The Wii's will continue to sell big during the holiday season. Also, we're getting a big streak of games coming out these next 2 weeks: SMG, Soul Calibur Legends, Mario & Sonic (along with GH3).

  • lsny

    Posted Oct 31, 2007 4:21 am GMT

    People are still playing/buying Pokemon games?!

  • capitalthoughts

    Posted Oct 29, 2007 6:44 pm GMT

    Ronnet, don't you even bother to stop and think that high-end powerhouse consoles could bring down the gaming industry? Most people out there aren't interested in a substitute for life the way x360 and PS3 are offering. Most people when they think of the world "game" in of itself means a fun little diversion to pass the time. Not CONSUME it. I know so many people who are actually being turned off by PS3 and X360 because they say that they don't have the time to sit down and play it long enough to get their money's worth. The wii has lengthy and short games. Yet, I think you pinned the tail on the donkey. You want a powerhouse that isn't a PC. Most people simply don't think that way. They want a game device or a PC.

  • Distinctive_Fin

    Posted Oct 29, 2007 6:08 pm GMT

    Nintendo strikes again! Wake up Sony And microsoft! You are quickly being dethroned!

  • compugraphic

    Posted Oct 29, 2007 4:51 pm GMT

    Not necesarely Saintramsus they didn't talk about VC games which should be all profit at this point as well MP3 hasn't been out long and is sure to rack up more sales. Not te mention we really havn't got the real heavy hitters yet such as SMG and SSBB

  • SaintRasmus

    Posted Oct 29, 2007 2:07 pm GMT

    A lot of people buys Wii , but no one is really playing on it. Is that a success ?

  • -Twilight-

    Posted Oct 29, 2007 11:55 am GMT

    Though I can't say I share the same love and appreciation for the Wii, I do admire Nintendo's success. What a business their running over there, more power to them.

  • rouguesquadron

    Posted Oct 29, 2007 4:22 am GMT

    It's great to see that Nintendo is, once again, the top video gaming company in the world. The Wii is helping to prove that great graphics doesn't mean great games, and I hope that this trend continues.

  • cfamgcn

    Posted Oct 28, 2007 11:22 am GMT

    Nintendo is making a big profit, huh?

  • ronnet

    Posted Oct 28, 2007 4:40 am GMT

    Nintendo isn't bad and I own a lot of their products but I hope they lose the consolewar or they'll destroy console gaming as we know it. I dislike PC gaming so I want a graphic powerful console as my mainconsole. But the Wii proofs that cheap consoles sell better and why would the competition make a extreem complex console if they can get away with making Wii like consoles? I thank Nintendo for the DS, but I won't like it if they take down console gaming.

  • georgie_daniel

    Posted Oct 27, 2007 5:45 am GMT

    edhc44 "People who started gaming at the PS1 era should just not be allowed in gameboards..."

    Thank u for that sentence, those guys who wave no idea of what gaming in its beggining was and the first controller they had in their hands already had a analog stick dont have the right to make dogmatic fanboyistic comments about the oldest console manufacturing company still in race. And for those Sony Fanboys (dont get me wrong i have a wii and a ps3) sony got into the videogame market because of nintendo

  • dee_nicki

    Posted Oct 27, 2007 4:14 am GMT

    I liked Nintendo more when they were the underdog.

  • nintendave86

    Posted Oct 27, 2007 3:40 am GMT

    Yay! It's great Nintendo are so successful these days!

  • PS360Fanboy

    Posted Oct 27, 2007 3:08 am GMT

    Nice to see the wii doing so well, now my second most favourite Platform

  • Flame_Devil999

    Posted Oct 27, 2007 1:41 am GMT

    FunKrusher, despite your name, you do have a point.
    My parents bought a Nes for my older brother when he was born (for my brother, suuurrre lol) but this meant that by the time I was born, I already had a nes. Nintendo brought gaming to the average household, without Nintendo, sure, there may still be a gaming industry, but I believe it wouldn't be up to today's standards.
    Stop thinking about graphics guys, think about which is the better game.

  • pinthepimp

    Posted Oct 27, 2007 12:34 am GMT

    Nintendo is Back. To all those people who say the Wii is a fad - It still look like a fad or does it have to out-sell the Xbox360 & the PS3 ?

    Maybe I'm a Nintendo fanboy, but I play my Xbox 360 more then my Wii, and when some games arrive for the Ps3, I'll buy it. Until then, whats the point ?

    Nintendo are going to do to the Video Game industry what Apple did to the Music/MP3 industry, not sure if that's a good thing considering the margin Apple currently dominate by...

  • getoconnection

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 6:54 pm GMT

    FunKrusher

    We just need to start a faction and start laying waste to all the n00bs and fanboys.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Where do I sign up!!

  • greasemonkey42

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 6:05 pm GMT

    comparing these last 2 generations, the console race is getting verrry interesting. I'm curious where each of the Big 3 are going to go with the NEXT generation, each given their progress in this one.

  • MasterChief725

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 5:35 pm GMT

    This, the new nintendo execs, and spore just go to show, the wii has dominated PS3

  • wiidominance

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 2:13 pm GMT

    what this translate into is more games heading Wii-wards, we're talking good games, such as, Spore !

  • -Ronin-_basic

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 1:30 pm GMT

    harndoogle

    They could be selling the Wii for a lot less then they are, or sell it for 99 dollars, like they should, and take the loss on it like sony and microsoft are. That way the gamer gets more. We Don't want them to continue to profit. To sell lots of platforms, yes, but to increase profits is to charge more then they shoud

    ---------------

    I hope you never start a business.

    We don't want a company to profit? That's one of the most foolish things I've ever read here (and that's really saying something, with what I've read in the past). Where do you think they get the money to put out a new console? Your hint is: it's something you don't think we want companies to have.

    Nintendo NEEDS to profit. They don't deal in other products like Sony or Microsoft; they deal in video games. If they're always operating at a loss, they'd be out of business in a few years.

    Do you think Sony enjoys losing money in their games division? Or that Microsoft should drop the 360 price to $50 now that they're not losing a small fortune on each one?

  • animegamer016

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 1:28 pm GMT

    WR_Platinum you are so right! Nintendo is very on fire. I'll always root for Nintendo any given day. Woot Woot!

  • WR_Platinum

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 12:54 pm GMT

    Nintendo is on FIRE!

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 12:32 pm GMT

    I'm just repeating what others have said but it really annoys me when people say "Oh I prefer the 360 over the Wii because it has better games". For christ's sake, the Wii has only been out for 10-11 months. The 360 has been out 22-23 months. It isn't very fair to compare them at this early stage. I remember the 360 having total poo for it's first year, coupled with mediocre sales. The Wii's line-up will get even better with time, just as the 360's and PS3's will. Just quit trying to compare them all!

  • ragin_massaih

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 12:10 pm GMT

    holy poop!! amazing!

  • FunKrusher

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 11:56 am GMT

    We just need to start a faction and start laying waste to all the n00bs and fanboys.

    If you didn't start gaming for serious before the ps1 n64 era and you're running you mouth about games before that era. You need to stop.

    If you don't understand the significance of the moves Nintendo made that influence the GAMES YOU NOW PLAY (controller, 3-d advancements, franchise mascots, etc.) You need to stop.

    Listen the video games industry has many different influences and companies that have contributed to a past time we ALL enjoy.

    But Nintendo has been a force in one way or another since the 80s

    I keep saying it and I will continue until idiots/morons/haters get the point (which will probably be never). HATING ON NINTENDO is LIKE HATING ON A SPIRITUAL BEING.

    Good job Nintendo. To the haters?

    KISS THE RINGS B_T___!!!

  • wiidominance

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 11:26 am GMT

    there was this news article about how the wii will run out of potentials after ,I duno, 1-2 years from now ? Well, that might be slightly true, but the thing is, by that time, Nintendo can totally survive without selling one more Wii, at which point, they can release Wii 2 or an add-on .. etc ... and start the saga again ..

  • Crombian

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 10:57 am GMT

    And this is the market that EA/MTV/Harmonix chose to alienate?


    Seriously, we need some Rock Band, and we need it now.

  • KingChainz31684

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 10:48 am GMT

    and i have found myself buying different multiplatfrom games for my wii over my ps3 or x360. i mean with basketball i went for PS3, but football in 07 i went wii and in 08 but i don't like 08 as much so i went back to 07 i tried 08 on the 360 but its just not in me anymore i love the wii controls done right, RE4 woulda been a huge mistake not to play on the wii...same thing as COD3 i mean i know it lacked MP but it didn't need one the single player was absolutely amazing, DBZ BT3 was awesome on the wii same thing as Marvel Ultimate alliance, I mean a lot of the 3rd party titles i get for the other systems haven't been available for the wii, which i consider a downside to the wii but i think its a downside that with some recent aquisitions and some other potential aquisitions is much brighter in the near future. well anyhow i love video games. and i don't mind nintendo gets tons of first party games cuz they are normally the top games on the market. It seems almost every year at every major show except last year nintendo tends to have multiple nominees and tends to win a lot of GOTY awards. This year could be Bioshock it will be interesting to see depends what games are going to be in their from last years holiday season.

  • KingChainz31684

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 10:37 am GMT

    i guess its a flame to call no direct person an idiot for "buying" a system and never playing it a single time so they claim i wonder if ilost a point cuz of that or making fun of a 6 and a half hour single player not naming any game specifically but i suppose most poeple know what game i am talking about i don't know i mean people come in and bash the wii saying they bought it and have yet to play it in a year isn't that person a retard since their are good games on it i mean if you knew you weren't going to give the system a chance why did you buy it. i mean its obvious peoiple who say this are lying to the extreme lol i have lost points for some really silly stuff i must offend people with true statements

  • smeghead83

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 10:33 am GMT

    @ro-co-to you say that "but the wii is not for gamers, it's an entertainment system" yet more gamers are playing it then the PS3, oh and another problem with your stupid and ignorant comment, how can the Wii be entertainment system, when its the PS3 that has a Blu-Ray player and other media systems on it and even Sony themselves call it one??? hummm whats that, yes thats right. You sir are an idiot.

  • metc123

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 10:13 am GMT

    ro-co-to How dare you enter a zone with 300+ nintendo fan boys and make such a comment lol!!!!

    Truth is? your a noob, and you've never been exposed to nintendos magic, You should Bow (Yes Bow) to nintendo for saving are industry in the 80's and taking it to a new level now..... Long Live Wii ",

  • metc123

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:53 am GMT

    I Guess this makes Nintendo " Super Nintendo " Hum......... Where have I herd that before?

    ",

  • EmperorSamoth

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:35 am GMT

    Sigh, is this news?

  • edhc44

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:28 am GMT

    @ ro-co-to
    That's the kind of the most pathetic fanboy/hater statement that can be. And honestly, I saw these kind of things coming months ago. Ok, the Wii didn't fade, the PS3 is still way behind and there's no arguments left to diss Nintendo. So what do we do? Deny reality and start saying that their console isn't videogame, that they're focusing on a different market, that they're not on the same race as the rest of the platforms. "[The Wii] is an entertainment system". WTF?? And how on earth does that differ from being a videogame? Everyone dubbed the the NES and the SNES undoubtely as videgames and what does the acronym means? People who started gaming at the PS1 era should just not be allowed in gameboards...

  • tastycasey27

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:27 am GMT

    ro-co-to ..... lol i like the way you are basning nintendo for making a console so many love and then call it not gaming, and not for gamers, back in the day of the NES we didnt have FPS'S to play or HD graphics so when i was 10 or so your saying i wasnt a gamer and im still not cos i play my wii, hmmmmm funny that cos i own every console made well maybe not all but i find it amusing that im not a gamer cos i play wii. the 3 consoles out now are all great the ps3 and 360 will provide the FPS'S that people crave and the wii will have mostly fun casual game, but it will have its hardcore outings too like metriod which is great not quite as good as halo3 but still great. you just come across as a sony or microsoft butt sniffer that lives a breathes there system only, i say get them all if u can afford it or if u cant dont bash the ones u dont play cos if u dont play the machine you really cant have a real opinion of it.

  • iamfudge

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:24 am GMT

    NINTENDO now can we have sum decent games which are not just all first party

  • iamfudge

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:23 am GMT

    NINTENDO now can we have sum decent games which arnt all first party 1s

  • PATRIOTREBORN77

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:23 am GMT

    I hope Tomb raider will be a good 3rd party title for wii.

  • iamfudge

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:21 am GMT

    NINTENDO now can we have some decent games and not just first party 1s

  • carljohnson3456

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:14 am GMT

    How cany anybody HATE Nintendo? I like the Wii the least of the new consoles, but I do like it alot. It's fun, it's different, it's easy. How anybody can actually HATE the Wii is beyond me. I do have to say though the only games to buy the Wii for is the first party titles, or exclusives. Any multiplatform game on the Wii pales in comparison to the PS3 or 360. But, you gotta like the Wii... at least a little bit. C'mon fanboys, you know you do....

  • erict702

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:12 am GMT

    Nintendo ur the best.,.. only if they already made the mices!!!

  • RK-Mara

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:09 am GMT

    Wii is awesome. I've never had as much fun playing with friends than with Wii.

  • Chadius

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 9:03 am GMT

    Grats Nintendo.

advertisement

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!

Related Game

Pokemon Diamond Version Boxshot
Pokemon Diamond Version

Game Stats

Full Game Details »Close

Related Games

Site Blogs