Gaming giant Nintendo has reported a 428% increase in its Q1 profits. It joined other gaming firms that have managed to record gains despite the COVID-19 crisis.
Nintendo Co Ltd (TYO: 7974) has reported a 428% increase in profits for the Q1 in its fiscal year. The company joins other game publishing companies to turn their books bullish using the COVID-19 induced global lockdowns. Sales of popular Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite consoles grew around 167% to 5.68 million units in the quarter.
The game manufacturer with dozens of games to offer saw a major year to date growth due to increased demand. In a strategic move, the firm released new video games including the Worldwide Classics, released in the Q1 period. In order to meet with the demands, Nintendo promoted the sales of games from other publishers.
“There are also a robust variety of appealing titles from other software publishers scheduled to be released. We will work to keep the platform active with new titles and by reinforcing sales of popular titles that have already been released.” the company noted in a statement
Nintendo’s stock has a bullish gain of 0.18%. This is a good jump for a company with a share price of 49,190 Japanese Yen.
Figures Behind Nintendo Increased Profits
Nintendo reported a 428% increase in profits with an operating profit of 144.7 billion yen ($1.4 billion) in the April-June quarter. This figure exceeded analyst’s expectations and represents a jump from the 27.4 billion yen it posted in Q1 2019.
The sales of gaming consoles reached an impressive figure in the quarter under review. Besides the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite consoles, it sold 1.32 million units of Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons stays at the top of the list with sales totaling 10.63 million units. Sales of the company’s popular Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite consoles grew around 167% to 5.68 million units in the quarter. Digital sales of software climbed about 230% for Nintendo and accounted for about 56% of total software sales.
Following these boosted sales, Total sales came in at 358.1 billion yen, up by 108% from the 172.1 billion yen reported in Q1 2019. An overseas sales of 273.0 billion yen accounted for 76.3% of the total.
Following these impressive milestones, the company aims to consolidate its mobile business by focusing on operations that encourage more consumers to continue to enjoy playing the applications that have been previously released.
COVID-19 Induced Gaming Boom
The coronavirus pandemic forced the eventual sitting at home of everyone across different age groups. With the unusual reality majority in the 21st century are unfamiliar with, many had to adapt to new lifestyles. While working-class adults worked from home, the younger generations resorted to entertainment and gaming.
The profitability observed particularly in the gaming industry robbed off on almost all game service providers. Even though other firms could not pull Nintendo 428% profits figure, most showed impressive growth in the quarter. Despite the reported loss in Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) operating income in its Q1 earnings report, its gaming division showed impressive boosts.
SNE figures were impressive owing in part to the anticipation of the release of its Play Station 5 game console. The earnings report backed by the COVID-19 gaming boom drove SNE stock to a 19-year high on Wednesday.
Seeing the trend, other tech giants are foraying into software gaming services. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is using the power of the cloud to bring a Netflix-styled gaming service. The cloud gaming service is integrated with the Xbox Game Pass app from September 15 and supports about 100 games
Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalists who relish writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desires to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain based media and sites. Benjamin Godfrey is a lover of sports and agriculture.
