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Nintendo posts $229M loss, Wii U estimates down by 60 percent
Nintendo fell slightly short of the reduced financial projections it set in January, with the Wii U reaching 2.72 million shipments for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. However, the system remains way off Nintendo's initial projection of 9 million, so it's no surprise to see more conservative estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015 of 3.6 million units. That's 60 percent less than Nintendo originally projected for the previous year. Total Wii U shipments are now up to 6.17 million, nearly a year and a half after the console launched. On the software side, Nintendo revealed figures of 32.28 million units to date, with New Super Mario Bros. U (4.16 million), Nintendo Land (3.09 million) and Super Mario 3D World (2.17 million) leading the way.
New Super Mario Bros. U ships 3.89M, Super Mario 3D World almost 2M
Between Super Mario 3D World and New Super Mario Bros .U, Nintendo's mustachioed mascot (whose year it wasn't) has shipped almost 6 million units on the Wii U. In figures revealed in the big N's financial briefing, NSMBU is now at 3.89 million for its lifetime shipments, while SM3DW is at around half of that with 1.94 million. Keep in mind that 2D Mario had the head-start on its 3D sibling when it launched alongside the Wii U, not to mention a much larger presence in system bundles. The Mario platformers are two of five Wii U games that have shipped more than a million so far this fiscal year - that's between April and December 2013, by the by. The other three launched after April, so their shipments for the period represent lifetime figures anyway. Coming in third behind the two Marios is yet another Mario, namely Mr. Luigi Mario with Super Luigi U. The green man's standalone expansion to NSMBU shipped 1.51 million after arriving in the summer. It wasn't just the year of Luigi because Wii Party U and Zelda: Wind Waker HD both got on in the act, shipping 1.24 million and 1.15 million respectively after their fall launches.
Nintendo nine-month profits drop year-on-year, Wii U ships 1.95 million in Q3
Nintendo reported a net profit of 9.6 billion yen (around $93 million) in the last three months of 2013 on the back of shipping 1.95 million Wii Us across the quarter. Despite that holiday success, the company posted a year-on-drop for its first three fiscal quarters, the nine months ending in December 2013. Net profits fell by just under 30 percent to 10.2 billion yen ($99 million), with Nintendo noting the Wii U has continued to bring down its figures, chiefly because of price cuts in the US and Europe. Nintendo slashed its sales forecasts for the fiscal year earlier this month, and expects to post a net loss of 25 billion yen ($242 million) for the fiscal year ending in March 2014. There's been no official announcement yet, but Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and members of the board are reportedly taking a temporary pay cut in response to the company's recent downturn. According to French news agency AFP (via Polygon), Iwata told reporters in Tokyo he would take half his normal pay for five months, with board members receiving a 20 to 30 percent cut. If accurate, it wouldn't be the first time in his tenure that Iwata has taken a pay cut: His salary was also halved in 2011, the reason then being poor 3DS sales.
Nintendo announces holiday discounts, new Wii U bundles
Just in time for Saint Nick to wedge himself down the world's chimneys, Nintendo has revealed a swath of discounts designed to tempt holiday shoppers toward the House That Mario Built. Nintendo Land, the pack-in game attached to most launch-era Wii U consoles, has been reduced in price from $60 to $30. Wii Fit U on the other hand, receives no discount, but is now available as a free trial. Visit the Wii U eShop and you'll see the game (which is otherwise priced at $20) available for gratis download. Once you've pulled down the software, you then have one month to test the game and potentially shed some of that unsightly holiday weight. In the realm of the new, Nintendo has also revealed Wii Remote Plus controllers which feature either Mario or Luigi themes, and come equipped with $40 price tags. These new controllers are available now. Two bundles have also been revealed. The first features a $300 price tag and includes a Wii U Deluxe console alongside both New Super Mario Bros. U and its New Super Luigi U expansion. A Skylanders Swap Force bundle is slated to debut on November 15 at that same $300 price tag, only this one contains "a white Wii U Basic Set, a Skylanders Swap Force starter pack that includes three Skylanders figures, a Portal of Power, trading cards, Skylanders sticker sheets, a collector poster and a Nintendo Land game disc." If neither of these packages convince you to buy a Wii U, there's also the previously revealed Wind Waker HD bundle, which includes a Legend of Zelda-themed Wii U Deluxe, as well as Wind Waker HD and a download voucher for Hyrule Historia, an in-depth examination of the franchise's lore.
Mario-themed Wii U deluxe bundle to replace Nintendo Land line
Nintendo of America is replacing the base Wii U 32GB Deluxe set that includes launch game Nintendo Land with a bundle featuring New Super Mario Bros. U and its standalone expansion New Super Luigi U. The Mario-themed set arrives at stores on November 1, a date that also sees Nintendo Land reduced to a suggested retail price of $30. The NSMB U Wii U bundle is priced at the recently lowered price of $299. The new set essentially offers two games rather than one; New Super Luigi U can be played without purchasing NSMB U, even though it's an expansion of the original game. For the record, the two games will be included on one disc in the Wii U bundle. Technicalities aside, it's definitely a better value bundle that Nintendo will hope entices more buyers to the system over the holiday period.
Three new Wii U bundles hit the UK next month
Nintendo is gift-wrapping three new Wii U bundles for the UK, including one 32GB Premium bundle and two 8GB Basic ones. The trio launch across consecutive weeks in November, and going by Nintendo's new web store they're each priced £250. The new 32GB Premium is first to reach Her Maj's Kingdom on November 8, bundling in New Super Mario Bros. U and its New Super Luigi U expansion on a 2-in-1 disc. Going by the Nintendo store it features the Legend of Zelda GamePad as per the Wind Waker HD bundle, as well as usual extras including Nintendo Network Premium membership. A Wii Party U bundle follows on November 15, featuring the not-yet-forgotten 8GB model. If one party game isn't enough, the bundle includes launch game Nintendo Land. Finally, November 22 sees the arrival of a Just Dance 2014 pack. Like the other 8GB bundle, it chucks in Nintendo Land. Nintendo's site lists both 8GB bundles as "limited," underlining the publisher's plans to focus on the 32GB model.
Wii U ups its value with two family-themed bundles in Japan
Nintendo is targeting families with two value-driven Wii U bundles in Japan, as it looks to give the console a welcome boost alongside its winter software line-up. The pair, launching on October 31, both include the 32GB Wii U (black or white), New Super Mario Bros. U, and Wii Party U. The pricier bundle also chucks in Wii Fit U. The Wii Fit U-less bundle costs ¥32,800 (around $332), while the healthier option is ¥34,800 ($352) adding in the Wii Fit U meter along with the game, but no Balance Board. There are the typical Premium extras of a Wii Remote, sensor bar, and 30 day membership to Wii Karaoke U in both sets. Japan's new options represent a significant value improvement on the original premium Wii U set, priced at ¥31,500 ($319) without any games included. The Japanese bundles follow Nintendo doling out a $50 price cut to the Deluxe set in North America, alongside the launch of a Wind Waker HD bundle.
New Super Luigi U review: Not easy being green
Mario has stolen the show often enough that it can be difficult to remember he even has a brother. As Nintendo celebrates the "Year of Luigi," though, Mario's gangly sibling is finally enjoying some well-deserved time in the spotlight. First there was Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS, and now the less famous of the two Marios has found a starring role in New Super Luigi U, a retelling of the excellent Wii U launch title, New Super Mario Bros. U. New Super Luigi U works like a traditional expansion pack, offering content that builds upon a solid foundation and grows it in a new direction. Rather than simply offering new stages that feel like cutting room rejects, Nintendo has returned with a refined bundle of more than 80 new levels that essentially pick up where the last adventure ended.%Gallery-191095%
PSA: New Super Luigi U arrives as NSMBU DLC today
New Super Luigi U, the downloadable expansion to New Super Mario Bros. U centered around the lankier Mario brother, comes to the Wii U's eShop today priced at $19.99. The green campaign includes over 80 redesigned courses, each one with a timer set at 100. And of course you play as the big L himself, which means you can jump and slide to even greater heights (and lengths). If you'd prefer to green your fingers with something more material, the retail version of New Super Luigi U hits North America on August 25, and Europe a smidgen earlier on July 26. Unlike the downloadable version out today, you don't need a copy of NSMBU to play the retail game, but it is priced a bit higher at $29.99.
Pro Controller support coming to New Super Mario Bros. U (in Japan)
New Super Mario Bros. U will get an update to coincide with the release of Super Luigi U, at least in Japan. It will allow players to purchase the Super Luigi U DLC directly from within New Super Mario Bros. U (i.e. no need to visit the eShop), and enable use of the Wii U's Pro Controller. Director Masataka Takemoto writes on Miiverse that the update is scheduled to arrive with the DLC on June 19. We've contacted Nintendo to see if the update is headed to North America as well.
Super Luigi U arrives as DLC June 20, packaged standalone August 25
The Super Luigi U DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U is being released as a digital download for the game on June 20 in both North America and Europe. However, it's also coming to retail as a packaged standalone. It'll be available August 25 in North America, and July 26 in Europe. The DLC will be priced at $19.99, while the standalone is $29.99. You won't need NSMB U to play the packaged game. This morning's Nintendo Direct also revealed that Nabbit, a little critter who you chased in the first game, is a playable character in the new content. He'll be available in multiplayer games as an easier alternative to Luigi and the Toads. He won't take damage when he touches enemies, but to balance that he won't be able to use power-ups. Super Luigi U makes changes to NSMB U's campaign to make every course "all-new" - it's essentially a new Luigi campaign.
Nintendo mass-claims revenue from YouTube 'Let's Play' videos
A number of YouTube members report that Nintendo is issuing "Content ID Match" copyright claims en masse for videos featuring gameplay from its published titles. The move appears to target the "Let's Play" community, in particular. Let's Play series authors often produce full video walkthroughs of featured games, with voiced or subtitled commentary accompanying gameplay. When a "Content ID Match" is claimed for a YouTube clip, the claimant is given the right to place an advertisement at the beginning or the end of the video. Content ID Matches differ from DMCA takedown notices or outright video removals, in that matched videos remain viewable by the public and do not count as a copyright strike against their producers. All revenue earned from views, however, will go to the content's copyright owner, rather than the video uploader. The act is common for publishers like Activision, Electronic Arts, and Square Enix, but it's only recently that Nintendo has joined in the practice. Multiple affected authors have come forward on Reddit to confirm Nintendo's new policy. To date, Nintendo's Content ID Matching spree seems to focus on recent releases like Super Mario 3D Land, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and New Super Mario Bros. U. Currently, Let's Play videos for older Nintendo-published games are unaffected. Nintendo explains its position in a statement issued to GameFront: "As part of our on-going push to ensure Nintendo content is shared across social media channels in an appropriate and safe way, we became a YouTube partner and as such in February 2013 we registered our copyright content in the YouTube database. "For most fan videos this will not result in any changes, however, for those videos featuring Nintendo-owned content, such as images or audio of a certain length, adverts will now appear at the beginning, next to or at the end of the clips. We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube, and that is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property."
Wii U shipments miss targets at 3.45M, projected 9M for next fiscal year
The Wii U shipped 3.45 million units worldwide as of March 31, a figure well short of the 4 million projected in January, itself adjusted from initial forecasts of 5.5 million. That means the Wii U only shipped around 390,000 units worldwide in the last three months.In a financial statement, Nintendo said its console failed to "maintain the initial sales momentum" due to delays of subsequent games, and the company aims to remedy this in the second half of this year through to next year by "releasing key Nintendo titles." The company believes this'll help the Wii U attain its projected shipping figures of 9 million for the next fiscal year (April 1 2013 to March 31 2014).Nintendo's fiscal year net profits came in at almost half the company's projections, down from a projected ¥14 billion to just over ¥7 billion, or around $71 million. The figure nonetheless represents significant turnaround from the ¥43 billion net loss posted for the previous fiscal year. Nintendo forecasts net profits of ¥55 billion for its next fiscal year.3DS shipping figures continue to climb, with the handheld now at 31.09 million, up over a million in the last quarter. The Wii remains short of the 100M mark at 99.84 million. The Wii outperformed the Wii U in the last quarter, shipping 70,000 units more at 460,000.
New Super Luigi U DLC comes to New Super Mario Bros. U this summer
New Super Mario Bros. U gets the previously announced New Super Luigi U DLC this summer, specifically June in Japan. The news was announced in this morning's Nintendo Direct, which revealed as usual Luigi will be able to outjump his shorter brother, and that the DLC features some shorter stages with 100-second timers.
New Super Luigi U DLC coming to New Super Mario Bros. U this year
Nintendo announced a Luigi-themed DLC pack for New Super Mario Bros. U in today's Nintendo Direct. The DLC, titled 'New Super Luigi U,' applies changes to the main campaign to make every single course "all-new", essentially allowing for a new Luigi campaign.The DLC is coming this year. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said the content was "large-scale," similar to that of a new game, and will therefore take some time to develop.
Nintendo cuts hardware sales targets after shipping 3M Wii U consoles in 2012
Nintendo adjusted its annual net profit outlook from ¥6 billion to ¥14 billion (around $154 million) on the back of a weakening yen, with the company posting a nine-month operating loss of ¥5.8 billion ($63.7 million) compared to the corresponding figure of ¥48.4 billion for the last fiscal year. However, Nintendo's end-of-fiscal-year hardware targets took a big hit on the back of shipping 3.06 million Wii U consoles in 2012.Nintendo now projects a figure of 4 million for Wii U by the end of its fiscal year on March 31, down from the 5.5 million the company predicted in October 2012. 3DS shipments are now expected to hit 15 million for the year, down from initial projections of 18.5 million.Nintendo has now shifted 29.84 million units of its handheld since launch. Meanwhile, the Wii's life-to-date figures are up to 99.38 million, with 3.53 million units shipped across the nine month period.Regards software, Nintendo shifted 11.69 million Wii U games since the console's launch on November 18, The best-performing games were the bundled-in Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U, coming in at 2.33 million and 2.01 million respectively.On the 3DS front, Nintendo shipped 39.56 million units of the handheld across the nine months. Pokémon Black/White 2 soared to a total of 7.63 million on the back of almost 3 million sales in Japan alone, while New Super Mario Bros. 2 is at 5.96 million. Animal Crossing: New Leaf sits at 2.73 million, largely thanks to its popularity with Japan's female demographic. All figures are as of December 31, 2012.
Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2012
Joystiq is revealing its 10 favorite games of 2012 throughout the week. Keep reading for more top selections and every writer's personal, impassioned picks in Best of the Rest roundups. Kid Icarus UprisingI tried not to push Kid Icarus Uprising on my coworkers, despite enjoying it more than anything else I played this year. It's ... not the friendliest game, and requires an investment to enjoy that maybe I wouldn't have put in, had I not reviewed the game. I hated it until I loved it.The insane, uncomfortable control scheme is a massive turnoff for the first few hours of gameplay, though I swear it clicks later (and is deeply customizable). The script is goofy to the point of being embarrassing, though it also swung to "hilarious" as the game went on. And the multiplayer takes a lot of "training," being based on the same weird control scheme as the ground battles from the single-player game – and it became the only online multiplayer game I cared to put hours of my own time into in 2012.Kid Icarus Uprising's high barrier to entry makes it very un-Nintendo-like, and the kind of game I usually wouldn't deem worthy of a second look. I'm the kind of person who doesn't want to play a game if I have to wait for it to get fun. But Uprising's payoff is so worth it.
Best of the Rest: Mike Suszek's picks of 2012
Joystiq is revealing its 10 favorite games of 2012 throughout the week. Keep reading for more top selections and every writer's personal, impassioned picks in Best of the Rest roundups. FIFA Soccer 13I'd argue that sports games haven't quite accomplished what EA Canada managed to do this year with FIFA 13: Mix in a subtle sense of unpredictability that you'd expect from the sport the game represents. FIFA 13's first touch controls forces players to calculate their decisions on the field more carefully than ever before, as one bad bounce can create an opening for your opponent. Layered with that unpredictability and an always-improving AI is the EA Sports Football Club Catalogue, which builds on the XP system pervasive throughout the game by offering players in-game rewards for their efforts. FIFA 13 is a complete game, and is unquestionably my favorite sports game of 2012.
Wii U sold 308,570 units across first two days in Japan
Nintendo sold 308,570 Wii U units over the console's opening two days in Japan, according to Enterbrain data. That places the new console 17 percent behind its predecessor, the Wii shifting 371,936 units in its first two days on sale. On the other hand, the Wii U sits comfortably ahead of corresponding launch figures for Xbox 360 (62,135) and PS3 (88,400).Leading the console's software charts was New Super Mario Bros. U, the platformer selling 170,563 units across the launch weekend. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Nintendo Land clocked in at second and third, racking up figures of 110,159 and 78,461 respectively.
Wii U sold 425K units in US after 7 days of availability
According to NPD data sent by Nintendo, the Wii U sold over 425,000 units in its debut month – or, at least, the seven days of it counted toward NPD's November sales period (the Nov. 18 launch through Nov. 24). Nintendo points out that the debut is almost as promising as the 475,000 units of the original Wii sold during its own first week.Nintendo provided sales numbers for only one Wii U game: New Super Mario Bros. U sold over 273,000 units in that period.
