New from Nintendo: Super Mario Recession for Wii
by John Paczkowski
Posted on January 29, 2009 at 7:22 AM PT
So the seemingly unfailing demand for Nintendo’s Wii? Failing.
Though Wii manufacturer Nintendo posted a 21 percent gain in quarterly operating profit on brisk demand for the videogame console, it slashed its forecast for full-year sales of the device (it slashed its full-year profit forecasts as well–by 33 percent). Nintendo had expected to sell 27.5 million units during its fiscal year, which runs from April until March. Now it expects to sell only 26.5 million. “Wii sales in Japan during the year-end shopping season didn’t meet our forecast,” Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata said during an earnings briefing. “Still, I don’t think demand for the Wii has run out.”
No, of course not. But clearly the Wii isn’t as recession-proof as was once thought. And, despite its appeal to budget-conscious consumers, Nintendo doesn’t feel it’s immune to the general slowdown in consumer spending. Said KBC Financial Products analyst Hiroshi Kamide: “Today’s revision suggests that the roaring pace of Wii growth that we’ve seen until now may be over.”
