The Profit Is In Another Castle: Nintendo Records First-Ever Annual Loss

Citing poor sales of the Nintendo 3DS and “the stronger yen against the euro was also another reason,” Nintendo posted its first-ever loss – $534.6 million on revenue of $8 billion. This is down from $12.6 billion in revenue last year with $960 million in profit.

But, as they say, it’s dangerous to invest alone. Here, take this: the company is predicting a profit of $429 million next year.

Nintendo bet big on the 3DS and the forthcoming Wii U, a superior console designed for clever multi-player gaming. Although the Wii is the best-selling console in the world, it’s clear that demand has slowed with the launch of Kinect from Microsoft and the PlayStation Move.

We’re expecting to her much more about the Wii U launch this summer at E3 and, provided they can get a product out the door by the holiday, expect these numbers to rise skyward. It’s a little sad to see Mario stumble like this, but here’s hoping he regroups.