Nintendo nets profit again as it surpasses 50M 3DSes shipped

Settling it in Smash helped Nintendo generated a profit for the second quarter in a row.

The publisher reported an operating income of around $270 million (31.8 billion yen) for its fiscal third quarter. That was on revenues of around $2.3 billion. Both of these figures were slightly below market expectations. During the quarter, the company reaped the rewards of a strong software catalog led by Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS as well as Mario Kart 8 released for its home console earlier in the year. The company has also managed to move a few million more home and handheld consoles during its Q3.

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During the three-month period that ended Dec. 31, Nintendo racked up 4.99 million 3DSes shipped. More than 1.8 million of those were the New 3DS, which was only available in Japan during this period. The 4.99 million figure was down from 7.76 million from the previous Q3. Despite that falling number, total 3DSes shipped has now surpassed 50 million. And the handheld’s sales could pick back up now that the New 3DS is coming to every major region this year.

Wii U once again puttered through the holidays. While gamers were crazy for its software, Nintendo only managed to sell 1.91 million Wii U consoles during its Q3. That is nearly identical to the previous Q3’s 1.95 million Wii U systems shipped.

Nintendo has shipped 9.2 million Wii U systems in total.

Despite the moderate numbers, Nintendo is figuring out ways to turn a profit this generation after all. Looking ahead, the company revised its full-year guidance for operating income to around $424 million (50 billion yen).

The New 3DS launches in the United States in February alongside Monster Hunter 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. This push should help push Nintendo’s revenues over the top for the end of its fiscal year.