Even with strong Q3 sales, Nintendo has announced (via Eurogamer) that they have reduced their full-year projections by 6.8 percent. While the drop in projections is clearly discouraging, the publisher is still expected to report a net profit of $255 million for the fiscal year.
A strong slate of 2014 releases is the main reason why Nintendo enjoyed a healthy Q3, as their first party franchises continued to sell like hotcakes. "Pokémon Omega Ruby" and "Alpha Sapphire" sold a combined 9.35 million units, while "Super Smash Bros." for 3DS contributed an additional 6.19 million copies sold.
In terms of Wii U software, "Super Smash Bros." for Wii U moved 3.39 million units, while "Mario Kart 8" continued to be a strong seller, as it has now reached lifetime sales of 4.77 million units worldwide. Nintendo also noted that titles such as "Tomodachi Life" and "Pokemon X & Y" had positive sales. In a surprising announcement, the publisher also revealed that third-party sales were up.
However, while software sales were solid, hardware sales saw a significant decline over the previous year. The Nintendo 3DS sold 7.08 million worldwide over the period, which is down from the 11.65 million it sold back in 2013. Things could be picking up here, though, as the New 3DS has gotten off to a good start in Japan, and will launch in the United States and Europe later this year.
Sales for the Nintendo Wii U were slightly better over the past year, as the system moved 3.03 million units, which is up from the 2.41 million it solid the prior year. The publisher anticipated that the system would sell 3.6 million units over the fiscal year, but the Big "N" won't reach that number.
In regard to its new "amiibo" line of toys, Nintendo has sold "about 5.7 million" figures since their launch in late November. 29 figures are currently available, with 12 more already announced.
Company president Satoru Iwata confirmed the "amiibo" figure during a conference call with investors today, Bloomberg reports.
