Japanese game maker Nintendo reports zooming sales and profit on its hit Switch 2 machine

Japanese video-game maker Nintendo’s net profit jumped 85% in April-September from the year before, as its sales more than doubled following the launch of its hit Switch 2 console in June, the company said. Nintendo, based in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, said its profit for the half-year totaled 198.9 billion yen, or $1.3 billion, up from 108.6 billion yen the year before. Sales for the first half of this fiscal year rose to nearly 1.1 trillion yen ($7.1 billion) from 523 billion yen in the same period of 2024. Nintendo, which makes Super Mario and Pokémon games, did not provide a breakdown of quarterly data. Nintendo’s video game sales were solid, although with no new movies, revenue from its content business slowed. Nintendo raised its profit forecast for the full fiscal year through March 2026 to 350 billion yen ($2.3 billion). Previously, it had expected a 300 billion yen ($1.9 billion) profit. It also raised its forecast for Switch 2 machine sales to 19 million units from the earlier 15 million. Nintendo says it had sold more than 10 million Switch 2s by the end of September. Popular Switch 2 game software includes “Mario Kart World” and “Donkey Kong Bananza.” Sales of the older Nintendo Switch have fallen, but Switch game sales are still going strong because they can be played on Switch 2 machines. Analysts expect Nintendo’s earnings to stay strong with the upcoming holiday season, when it tends to do well. They also expect key new games in the Pokémon and Kirby franchises. Nintendo stocks, which have been rising relatively steadily over the past year, fell 0.8% on November 4. This article was provided by The Associated Press.