previously slashed from an projection of 25.5
million units.
President Shuntaro Furukawa has said the
dearth of computer chips has hindered output,
complicating planning for the next fiscal year
and beyond.
The problem has also slowed the design process
for its next game machine. Nintendo is developing
a device to follow the Switch.
Despite the setbacks, more than 100 million
Switch machines have sold so far globally. Its
most popular games for the latest period were
“Pokémon Brilliant Diamond” and “Pokémon
Shining Pearl,” and new Mario Kart and Mario
Party games.
“Pokemon Legends Arceus,” which went on sale
last month, and the latest Kirby game, set for
release in March, are expected to boost sales in the
final fiscal quarter, according to Nintendo.
Nintendo faces stiff competition both from
longtime rivals such as Microsoft Corp. and Sony
Corp. and from newcomers like Netflix and Google.
Microsoft recently announced it’s acquiring
Activision Blizzard, the maker of Candy Crush
and Call of Duty, for $68.7 billion, turning the
maker of the Xbox into one of the world’s largest
game companies.
Sony, which makes the PlayStation series of
consoles, is acquiring Bungie Inc., known for its
Halo and Destiny games, for $3.6 billion. Such
acquisitions add game titles under their wings and
in effect dwarf Nintendo.
Nintendo expects to post a 400 billion yen ($3.5
billion) profit on 1.65 trillion yen ($14 billion) sales
for the fiscal year through March.