A week before the release of the Mario vs Donkey Kong remake, Nintendo has revealed its financial results covering the last 9 months of 2023. The fiscal year is not yet over for the company, but it is already seeing significant increases compared to previous years. However, it announced that it was selling fewer consoles just a few weeks ago. It turns out that the decline also affects games and software.
From April to December 2023, Nintendo sold 13.7 million Nintendo Switch. In total, 3.4 million classic models and 8.17 million OLED models were sold. While the former is down from the 5.22 million of the previous year (-34.9%), Nintendo Switch OLEDs are not doing any worse with a slight increase after the 7.69 million units sold at the end of December 2022 (+6.2%).
The end of a cycle?
Although down, the situation does not seem to worry Nintendo and declares that the figures are “stable” for the moment, in line with the firm's projections. The same decline is however to be deplored on the software side. Big blockbusters were released during this period, including The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom which sold 20.3 million units, while Super Mario Bros. Wonder sold 12 million games.
The other, more modest titles did not manage to raise the overall level in 2023. Pikmin 4 sold 3.3 million copies. The branch dedicated to games has therefore managed to sell 164 million units in total between April and December, a 4.7% drop compared to the same period last year. Against all odds, Nintendo is not at all to be pitied. Indeed, its revenues managed to increase in 2023 thanks to one production in particular.
We say thank you to Super Mario Bros. the movie
If Nintendo sold fewer consoles, fewer games, but increased its profits, this means that other categories managed to assert themselves. This is the case for mobile games, the exploitation of intellectual property and even derivative products (excluding accessories and hardware). The studio is indeed present in many sectors that contribute to its turnover. We won't risk saying that the Super Nintendo World park is making profits, unlike the Super Mario Bros. film, which changed the game.
Thanks to the film, which made $1.3 billion at the global box office, Nintendo was able to revive the sale of many derivative products around the world, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe games. The title sold 6.79 million units which represents more than 10% of its total sales. Players have therefore decided to take back their Switch. Nintendo records an annual number of players at 122 million which is a record for the firm. DLC and digital sales have also increased with the release of the Pokémon Purple and Scarlet contents.
0 Comments