Finally accepting the fate of the Wii U, Nintendo has lowered its bold financial predictions for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. Previously, the platform holder had expected a net profit of ¥55 billion for the year, but due to the underperformance of the Wii U (and even the 3DS, oddly enough) Nintendo is now estimating a net loss of of ¥25 billion.
The new number is a result of revised sales predictions for the Wii U and 3DS handheld. Nintendo originally estimated that it would sell 9 million Wii U units worldwide during the financial year. Despite the alarming lack of units moved, Nintendo stuck by its ambitious goal. On a side note, I'm pretty sure everyone but Nintendo knew it wouldn't hit that number. I guess it just took them a little longer as the estimate has now been revised down to 2.8 million. Comparitively — just to let you know how bad of shape the Wii U is in — Nintendo forecasts its predecessor, the Wii, to sell 1.2 million consoles during this financial year (also down from the original 2 million forecasted).
Even the Nintendo 3DS — the best-selling hardware of 2013 — is failing to live up to Nintendo's lofty expectations. The handheld was forecasted to sell 18 million units worldwide this financial year; now it's down to an estimated 13.5 million units.
Things are certainly looking grim for the Wii U, but hope is not all lost. Looking ahead, there are still a few games to be released which could help boost sales. The question is can Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. save the struggling console?
