Nintendo Profits Remain Strong as Breath of the Wild Surpasses 23 Million Units Sold
Posted on August 07 2021 by Alexis S. Anderson
On August 5th, Nintendo released its first financial quarter data for 2021. While profits are down compared to Q1 during last year’s stay-at-home-order entertainment boom, the company remains on track to meet profit projections by the end of this fiscal year. Some of this Q1 profit can be attributed to continued sales of Breath of the Wild, which remains among Nintendo’s top selling titles. And it is expected that Skyward Sword HD’s sales will help keep profits on track heading into the next quarter.
Nintendo’s first quarter profits are as follows:
- Net Sales – ¥322.6 billion ($2.94 billion USD – down 9.9% from Q1 2020)
- Operating Profit – ¥119.7 billion ($1.09 billion USD – down 17.3% from Q1 2020)
- Digital Sales – ¥79.5 billion ($692.8 million USD – down 24.9% from Q1 2020)
- Mobile/IP Revenue – ¥13.1 billion ($119.6 million USD – down 0.6% from Q1 2020)
- Net Profit – ¥ 92.7 billion ($846 million USD – down 12.9% from Q1 2020)
As mentioned, Breath of the Wild has reached 23.20 million units sold. The game remains the fourth highest selling title on the Switch after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Switch console itself sits at 89.04 million total units sold, in sharp contrast to the Wii U at 13.56 million. The highest selling title of Q1 this year was New Pokemon Snap at 2.07 million units sold outside of Japan. Miitopia and Mario Golf: Super Rush also crossed the million unit sales mark.
The bottom line is: while it won’t match last year’s, Nintendo expects to turn a significant profit this fiscal year. Major Zelda titles are likely to lend a hand, in addition to smaller projects like Niantic’s Pikmin mobile game and big releases later this year like the Switch OLED, Metroid: Dread, and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Are you glad to see Nintendo and its Zelda games continue to turn a profit? How well do you think the Switch OLED will sell? Which upcoming release do you think will be the most successful? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Nintendo (1, 2), Nintendo World Report (via Nintendo Life, Knoebelbroet)
Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.
