Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Nintendo Quarterly Profits Down 80%

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the tightening-up dept.

mybrainonfire writes "1UP is reporting that Nintendo had a 78.5% reduction in operating profits for the quarter. 'Speculation from the news service on the reason for the drop makes perfect sense - the GameCube doesn't have enough exclusives, first-party and third-party, and sales of GBA SP and GameCube have been declining.' Time to release more Pokemon games, stat!"

7 of 637 comments (clear)

  1. I'm not flaming Nintendo. by kdark1701 · · Score: 0, Troll

    I think this is a sign that Nintendo will die out as a console manufacturer. I think they should stick to what they're good at: handhelds and software.

  2. Pokemon by drnoi · · Score: 0, Troll

    At least my Pokemon cards will be worth something in the future.

  3. And people worrying about Nintendo... by SynapseLapse · · Score: 0, Troll

    going out of business in 3....2...1...

  4. Reply for the Old guy by drnoi · · Score: 1, Troll

    Sega Genesis has "Blast Processing" and Super Nintendo don't... Welcome To The Next Level, Nintendo! Hahahah!

  5. It's no wonder they're losing money by DrXym · · Score: 0, Troll
    Their main cash cows appear to be Pokemon and Mario with occasional sprinkles of Zelda or Kong. Having to make every game based around the same lousy characters is like trying to swim with concrete weights attached to your feet. Some of the games are fun, but there's only so much people can bear. Meanwhile Sony & Microsoft can make their games around anything they like.


    Neither do Sony or MS have issues with releasing adult titles for their console. If Nintendo had the luxury of a killer console it might be in a position to hold to its principles. But it isn't. The GC is trounced by the PS2 & XBox both in hardware and in the sheer range of games. On the handheld market, the DS is still winning (just) in terms of sales to the superior PSP but it doesn't look like it's going to prevail.


    It's hard to see how Nintendo can possibly survive as a console maker unless their next platform is pretty fucking spectacular and they loosen up what they're prepared to allow their box to run. If not, they'll go the same way as Sega - reduced to making Mario & Pokemon games for the PS & XBox.


    I wonder if one of the console makers shouldn't allow "homebrew" software onto their consoles. Geeks might not represent much of the market, but I reckon that it could easily swing an extra 1-2% of sales. How to do that without opening the door to piracy? Produce 2 tiers of authentication for games (& apps). The first tier is for normal games who access to all the functionality of the console. The second tier is for homebrew, who are restricted in certain ways, e.g. having to run from CDR, not being able to access online gaming portal, not being able to render more than so many polygons etc. It means that someone couldn't use pirate a game and sign it as homebrew because it would stop working, but the homebrew guys could help promote the console by producing some nice stuff for it - jukeboxes, browsers etc.

  6. No surprise there by Stonewolf57 · · Score: -1, Troll

    Not much of a surprise. Nintendo sucks. For the reasons mentioned in the article and Nintendo's company policy of only making games with a non-mature rating. Hence no blood, no guts, no cursing, no sex, no excessive violence, the things that make video games fun. Personally, I'd love to see this whole attitude of video games are for kids, they need to be censored, that is the video games industry in the US, go bye bye and never be seen again. The key to making that happen is either getting the mainstay's holding up that attitude (Nintendo), out of the way, or getting them to change their view points. Obviously Nintendo is going to HAVE to change if they want to stay in business. They can't keep selling Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen and Pokemon GBA titles forever, but Nintendo is still very much a household word and a lot of parents think Nintendo when they think video games.

    That said I think the ESRB is the right idea. I think we do need a games rating system so parents know which ones are good to buy for kids. I think that it's a good thing the ESRB isn't government run, but I don't think Walmart should be holding the video games industry hostage stunting it's growth by refusing to sell adult titles. The ongoing decline and ultimately negation of Nintendo in the video gaming market is the first step towards a change in attitude about video games, and a less censored future.

  7. RE: I think it's time to admit... by Locdonan · · Score: -1, Troll

    I love video game consoles! I also love computers!

    My office still uses typewriters. Records are still very popular to people who want a rich, vibrante music experience, corded phones work when the power is out, and just about anyone can afford a $3-5 phone even if they are poor. AND a fountain pen is considered elegant and very personal when writing to someone in regards to something important.

    Have you tried to play Smash Bros on your phone? What? They don't have that since it would require something better to control it? Well hell! Why don't we make a watch with a 7" screen, a dual-shock controller you carry around and a criss-cross watch strap. Playstation can call it the fisking PSX because of the Strap. cool huh?

    You give me a sharp pain behind my left eye....

    A few words before I go:
    Mario, Zelda, Kirby (including canvas course), Metroid, punch-out, dragon warrior, duck hunt, superscope 6, smash bros., chronotrigger, wild gunmen, hogan's alley, NOT ZELDA 2 for NES, nintendogs, donkey konga but not 2, piliot wings, and WAY TO MANY TO REMEMBER!

    Thanks, and sod off!

    --
    If I wrote something witty, you would say I stole it from somewhere.