Nintendo releases more financial details
by Jolex Del Pilar

Friday, January 30, 2004

First 3 quarters from their current fiscal year.

Nintendo Co. has made available to VGLN.com select financial details from the first three-quarters of its current fiscal year.

Sales in the nine-month period ending December 31, 2003 were reported as 439.5 billion yen (approximately $4.14 billion U.S.) while earnings were pegged at 34.5 billion yen (approximately $325.29 million U.S.). No comparable figures were available from previous years as Nintendo released none.

The company is also backing off from previously expected results for its full fiscal year ending March 31, 2004. It now expects sales of 510.0 billion yen (approximately $4.14 billion U.S.) and a net profit of 54.0 billion yen (approximately $509.1 million U.S.), down from earlier estimates of 550.0 billion yen (approximately $5.18 billion U.S.) in sales and a net profit of 60.0 billion yen (approximately $565.51 million U.S.). In its previous fiscal year, Nintendo posted a net profit of 67.27 billion yen (approximately $633.97 million U.S.).

Nintendo cited slow sales in Japan and short holiday supply in the U.S. as factors for lowering full year outlooks.

Through April-December of 2003, the company sold 4.39 million GameCube hardware units (for a life-to-date total of 13.94 million) and 15.61 million Game Boy Advance units globally. The company hopes to sell 6.0 million GameCubes and 20.0 million GBAs worldwide by the end of its fiscal year, but will most likely come up short in both categories.

While full-year GameCube software sales may not reach expected results, Nintendo has already surpassed its full-year sales target for GBA software of 60.0 million units, having sold 61.5 million during the first nine months of its fiscal year.

--- Jolex Del Pilar