Nintendo has released its Q3 financial report, and the details contained within have forced the company to cut its sales expectations for the Wii U, 3DS, and DS. The Wii U was previously expected to shift 5.5 million units by the end of the financial year in March, but Nintendo now predicts it will have moved 4 million — a drop of over 27 percent. The company announced sales of 3.06 million for the new console since its launch. The 3DS, meanwhile, sold 12.71 million systems since April and had its sales expectations cut to 15 million from 17.5 previously forecast; the original DS' were shortened to 2.3 million units from 2.5.
3.06 million Wii U consoles sold
Overall, Nintendo posted an operating loss of 5.8 billion yen ($64.4 million) for the nine months ended December 2012, which it partially attributed to the strong performance of the yen over the past year and the fact that it makes a loss on each Wii U console sold. Revenues were down 2.4 percent year on year, and contrary to its prior predictions, the company expects a second consecutive annual loss of 20 billion yen ($220 million). In comments reported by Reuters, however, President Satoru Iwata said the company is aiming to return to profit in the next financial year with a target of 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion).
Good news for the company came in the shape of strong software sales: Pokémon Black Version 2 and White Version 2 for DS sold 7.63 million copies, Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 3DS sold 2.73 million units in Japan alone, and New Super Mario Bros U sold 2.01 million, meaning that about two in three Wii U purchasers decided to pick the game up with their new system. With 11.69 million Wii U software titles sold in total, that means that the console has a healthy attach rate of 3.82 games per system — though it's worth noting that Nintendo Land, bundled with the premium console pack in North America and Europe, has been included in that amount.