Nintendo raised its fiscal year profit forecast by 26 percent from an earlier figure yesterday, citing healthy sales of its Wii home console and DS hand-held game machines.
Nintendo Co also credited a recovering US dollar for its new projection of a ¥410 billion (US$3.8 billion) profit for the fiscal year ending March next year.
The Kyoto-based company had previously forecast a ¥325 billion profit for the fiscal year. The revised projection would mark a 60 percent jump in profit compared with last fiscal year.
The Japanese maker of Super Mario and Pokemon games also raised its sales forecast for the fiscal year ending March next year to ¥2 trillion from an earlier ¥1.8 trillion.
Nintendo said it expects to sell 26.5 million Wii machines in the fiscal year ending March next year — better than the initial estimate of 25 million and the 18.6 million sold the previous fiscal year ending last March.
Nintendo revised its forecast for DS sales upward to 30.5 million units for the fiscal year through March next year, from 28 million. It sold 30.3 million DS machines the previous fiscal year.
Favorable exchange rates are also expected to help earnings, Nintendo said in a statement. Nintendo now expects the US dollar to cost ¥105, higher than the previous estimate of ¥100.
A stronger US dollar boosts the earnings at Japanese exporters like Nintendo by lifting the value of overseas earnings translated into yen.
Last month, Nintendo reported a 34 percent jump in April-June profit at ¥107.27 billion.
Behind the stellar performance is the hit Wii and its game software, including “Wii Fit,” which has drawn the health-conscious to simple exercises like yoga and aerobics.
The company has now sold worldwide a cumulative 29.6 million Wii machines, which has a trademark wand-like remote controller.
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