It's been quite some time since we've heard good news from Nintendo's accountants. The company has been posting operational losses for four years in a row, but this time around it seems that fortune is smiling upon our favourite company from the land of the cherry blossom.

According to their latest financial report, Nintendo has posted an operating profit of 24.8 billion yen ($208 million) for the fiscal year, a huge improvement from last year's $390 million operating loss. Although their revenue continues to decline, the company seems to be recovering from a four-year long rut.

The Time attributes these good results to Nintendo's recent high-profile releases including Super Smash Bros. 4, Pokemon ORAS and Mario Kart 8, the current Wii U best-seller. I myself would like to add that Amiibos turned out to be big money-makers for the company and they probably helped Nintendo turn over a New Leaf, pun intended. Here's for hoping Nintendo continues on their road to recovery and becomes consistently profitable once again.

Source

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Fucking finally.
Maybe now they will be more willing to take risks. Splatoon is cool and all but I'd like a more fully fledged game based on a new IP, or a new game based on an existing IP that's way different from previous games.

They did more of this back on the GC/DS/GBA (GC Pokemon games, Pokemon Ranger, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon were all way different from the existing Pokemon games at the time and they did pretty well, although I didn't like PMD personally, I rather enjoyed the others).
N64 saw the advent of Paper Mario which was also an unique and fun game that was very different from their previous stuff.
Super Mario RPG is another example of an existing IP used in new and interesting ways.
They haven't really done anything like that recently, it's all just sequels to existing series following the same formula (as far as 1st party games go)

Edit: I guess these are now valid

Spoiler

Spoiler

Edit: Hi Margen67 and VinsCool. You better sleep with an eye open tonight.

 

[anhminh]

"Nintendoomed" they said.
"Worth than Vita" they said.
Where are they now?

 

[p1ngpong]

It seems a lot of people are quick to make up numbers in order to defend Nintendo, it seems that people are desperate to paint the picture of a company that is back on track when they really aren't. Like I said a combination of absolutely killer properties led to a $200 million profit, SSB, MK8, Amiibos, Majoras Mask 3D and even a new hardware revision that sold like hotcakes. But all of this led to a profit of ONLY $200 million which is really not very much. Remove all of these killer titles and replace them with Splatoon, xenoblades, whatever you wish and there is no chance of these sales figures being replicated. Only a delusional person or someone who knows nothing about how games sell would think that the upcoming lineup of games from Nintendo will sell a fraction of last years lineup. After all don't forget that at the same time as these killer games being released Nintendo were also releasing their usual tat, Mario party, Kirby etc and the likes of Splatoon and everything else that is lined up to come up over the next year fit in that category not the top tier, again like it or not. So imagine the fiscal years report we are talking about with SSB, MK8 and even the New 3DS sales omitted, how much of that $200 million sliver of profit would still exist? None, they would be in the red again by God knows how many hundreds of millions, that is all people like me and Foxi are trying to say.

Also piracy is irrelevant to this discussion, its just more imaginary figures based on nothing being thrown around.

 

[CathyRina]

The story is very good, I've looked at pretty much everything story-wise and it's great story and according to Japanese gamers it is as good, if not better, than XC.

I dunno. The silent MC and terrible lip synch kinda kills every hype for me. The Japanese XCX N-Directs were a pain to watch. And I'm not taking any Japanese opitions as a strong point anymore. Japanese players have a completely different taste in video games than western players.

 

[Foxi4]

"As good as XC" fills me with dread. As far as I've been told, it takes about 40 hours for something to happen in that game. I wouldn't know, I didn't play it that long, it just put me to sleep after 4. Kick-ass intro though, the first 15 minutes were great.

 

[TripleSMoon]

Even if it does well, it won't do "as well" as Pokemon or Smash which are the two games that helped Nintendo make a profit, can we at least agree on that?

Totally agree.

Because my crystal ball says so. Seriously though, it's because XC bombed, XC 3DS is currently bombing and XCX will probably come out accompanied by the sound of tumbleweeds.

XC had a limited release, and didn't even hit the west until after the Wii U's launch. And the 3D version is exclusive to a handheld that just released. I wouldn't really count that against the success of its sequel. To be fair I haven't played it yet though, so perhaps there's some context you have that I don't.

The context of this conversation is 2015. I would be very happy to see a Metroid game on either the Wii U or the 3DS, but it's not happening in 2015, the year we're talking about.

If they're unannounced, they're not arguments in a debate. Don't waggle a schrodinger's cat in front of my face saying that they totally have content ready for 2015 - we don't know if they have any and even if they do, we don't know if it's quality content.

Unless they're lying (and hey, in 2015, that's quite a possibility for developers/publishers), there's really no reason to doubt that there aren't unannounced games coming. Whether they're good or worth it is another question entirely.

This also ties into what I said about Metroid. I admit, I doubt it'll come out this year either, but there's still a small possibility that's included in their "unannounced games for 2015."

I'm sorry for being a realist. They're all pooped out of their best-sellers and I'm yet to see any advanced work on any of their other best-selling franchises, so I can assume the worst for this year.

Like I said, I'm not the most optimistic person about Nintendo's current state either, and I don't blame you at all for having the lowest of expectations. But I think there's a difference between being a realist and "they've got no other surprises coming out this year even though they clarified they do, because I said so."

 

[RevPokemon]

It seems a lot of people are quick to make up numbers in order to defend Nintendo, it seems that people are desperate to paint the picture of a company that is back on track when they really aren't. Like I said a combination of absolutely killer properties led to a $200 million profit, SSB, MK8, Amiibos, Majoras Mask 3D and even a new hardware revision that sold like hotcakes. But all of this led to a profit of ONLY $200 million which is really not very much. Remove all of these killer titles and replace them with Splatoon, xenoblades, whatever you wish and there is no chance of these sales figures being replicated. Only a delusional person or someone who knows nothing about how games sell would think that the upcoming lineup of games from Nintendo will sell a fraction of last years lineup. After all don't forget that at the same time as these killer games being released Nintendo were also releasing their usual tat, Mario party, Kirby etc and the likes of Splatoon and everything else that is lined up to come up over the next year fit in that category not the top tier, again like it or not. So imagine the fiscal years report we are talking about with SSB, MK8 and even the New 3DS sales omitted, how much of that $200 million sliver of profit would still exist? None, they would be in the red again by God knows how many hundreds of millions, that is all people like me and Foxi are trying to say.

Also piracy is irrelevant to this discussion, its just more imaginary figures based on nothing being thrown around.

This 100%

Although as your a mod you had to know that the thread would simply be hijacked by fan boys who will defend Nintendo's every move and not listened to the numbers and add bs arguments (like piracy).

 

[WiiCube_2013]

If Nintendo wasn't in the market of handheld gaming and NFC figurines they'd still be doing poorly due to the Wii U.

I don't see this as a win for me as a customer because I'm not very satisfied with the Wii U.. Nintendo promised more than they should have so next time I'm not going to buy their next home console until it has a decent amount of quality games. Also, Nintendo doesn't seem to be evolving as they're still stuck in the past thinking voice-chat isn't needed.

Anyhow, it's good to see some positive news about this company but they really need to get with the times.

 

[RevPokemon]

If Nintendo wasn't in the market of handheld gaming and NFC figurines they'd still be doing poorly due to the Wii U.

I don't see this as a win for me as a customer because I'm not very satisfied with the Wii U.. Nintendo promised more than they should have so next time I'm not going to buy their next home console until it has a decent amount of quality games. Also, Nintendo doesn't seem to be evolving as they're still stuck in the past thinking voice-chat isn't needed.

Anyhow, it's good to see some positive news about this company but they really need to get with the times.

To be honest as a consumer the products are what you care about not the value of the company or what not.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

To be honest as a consumer the products are what you care about not the value of the company or what not.

Yeah, they have all this money but they're too greedy to invest on making the products that their customers/fans bought so that shows how much they care.

 

[RevPokemon]

Yeah, they have all this money but they're too greedy to invest on making the products that their customers/fans bought so that shows how much they care.

Well also when was the last original Nintendo game? (Other than splatoon)
GameCube had tons, Wii had a good amount of new IPS, yet the Wii u has none

 

[CathyRina]

To be honest as a consumer the products are what you care about not the value of the company or what not.

Not really. When the hardware is too much behind times you will eventually run into troubles.
Somebody already mentioned it but in Japan Home Consoles are drastically loosing popularity due to japanese Culture spending most of their time outside of their homes. Mobile games and Handheld games suit their lifestyle better.
The PS4 is the only Home console in Japan that sells relatively well because Sony thought of that issue. Remote Play was not a invention to give their handhelds more selling points, it was actually made to give the PS4 a selling point.
If Nintendo had thought of that issue they would had a easier time selling games in Japan but Nintendo isn't even competent enough to make game bound to your Account rather than machine.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

Well also when was the last original Nintendo game? (Other than splatoon)
GameCube had tons, Wii had a good amount of new IPS, yet the Wii u has none

Devil's Third? But in fairness this was cancelled and brought back from the dead to be released on the Wii U. Releasing it on the Wii U will be DoA, unless the price is reasonable.

 

[RevPokemon]

Not really. When the hardware is too much behind times you will eventually run into troubles.
Somebody already mentioned it but in Japan Home Consoles are drastically loosing popularity due to japanese Culture spending most of their time outside of their homes. Mobile games and Handheld games suit their lifestyle better.
The PS4 is the only Home console in Japan that sells relatively well because Sony thought of that issue. Remote Play was not a invention to give their handhelds more selling points, it was actually made to give the PS4 a selling point.
If Nintendo had thought of that issue they would had a easier time selling games in Japan but Nintendo isn't even competent enough to make game bound to your Account rather than machine.

What I meant was simply you don't enjoy a product mor or less simply because the company is making a profit or a loss

Devil's Third? But in fairness this was cancelled and brought back from the dead to be released on the Wii U. Releasing it on the Wii U will be DoA, unless the price is reasonable.

D3d will be DOA even if you give it away since games like that don't sell very well at all on Nintendo consoles.

 

[Monado_III]

I dunno. The silent MC and terrible lip synch kinda kills every hype for me. The Japanese XCX N-Directs were a pain to watch. And I'm not taking any Japanese opitions as a strong point anymore. Japanese players have a completely different taste in video games than western players.

It wasn't just Japanese players saying that, it was importers (who understood Japanese) too. The story's 'main' protagonist is Elma, and while the MC is silent, you still have a lrge influence inthe game. The lip sync apparently isn't that bad (but I admit I did notice it), I haven't heard anyone who actually played the game complain about it. Maybe it just doesn't look right because there not using English words and thus it looks different???

 

[CathyRina]

It wasn't just Japanese players saying that, it was importers (who understood Japanese) too. The story's 'main' protagonist is Elma, and while the MC is silent, you still have a lrge influence inthe game. The lip sync apparently isn't that bad (but I admit I did notice it), I haven't heard anyone who actually played the game complain about it. Maybe it just doesn't look right because there not using English words and thus it looks different???

I don't care who the main protagonist is, if my dude/dudette is silent for no good reason thats a big con. And I read the official statement on why they chose to go with a silent MC and guess what it was just bullshit. You can't say the lip synch isn't that bad it doesn't match even a single line of dialogue. It's like playing FFX where half of the time they used idle animations in cutscenes and Lip synch wasn't a priority but even then they at least tried to make it stick. FFX came in a time period where this was acceptable XCX doesn't. And how does the English argument even work? This game was made primarily for Japan so the Japanese lip synch should stick, which it doesn't. Not to mention the Charcter Faces just look ugly. Stop pretending these games are flawless because they're not. You can like something without trying to protect it from any sorts of criticism.

 

[Purple_Shyguy]

10,000,000 amiibos sold!

Holy moly!

 

[Qtis]

Also do note that Nintendo got a nice boost from the Japanese government pumping out Yen faster than the US. This made it possible for the income values (in Yen) to grow. Next year's financial statement will show more regarding the state of sales as the EU also started pumping out Euros in a similar way.

Hopefully the WiiU will get some more games in the near future. My WiiU game library is quite stale at the moment compared to my PS4 and PC library. Quality titles, sure, but few and far between.

 

[TripleSMoon]

My WiiU game library is quite stale at the moment compared to my PS4 and PC library. Quality titles, sure, but few and far between.

Same here. The last game I've picked up is Super Smash Bros. 4 and the only games that have released since then that have me even mildly interested are Captain Toad Treasure Tracker and Kirby & the Rainbow Curse. The only confirmed 2015 release that I'm reasonably excited about so far is Yoshi's Wooly World and maybe Xenoblade Chronicles X (assuming I like the first one enough, when I get to playing it).

Edit: I'm also excited for Star Fox. I totally forgot that's coming out this year!

 

[Joe88]

10,000,000 amiibos sold!

Holy moly!

Nintendo's web site actually says 10 mil shipped, 2 months ago they said about 3.5 mil sold