Nintendo Cuts Annual Profit Forecast 10% as Switch Sales Slow

A staff member sorts products at the Nintendo store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
A staff member sorts products at the Nintendo store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Nintendo Cuts Annual Profit Forecast 10% as Switch Sales Slow

A staff member sorts products at the Nintendo store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
A staff member sorts products at the Nintendo store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)

Nintendo cut on Tuesday its operating profit forecast for the year to March 2025 by 10% to 360 billion yen ($2.36 billion), as its ageing Switch console loses steam.

The latest forecast is below analyst estimates of a 391.4 billion yen profit.

The Kyoto-based gaming company sold 4.7 million Switch consoles in the first half of the financial year. That compares with 6.8 million units sold in the same period a year earlier.

Nintendo lowered its full-year sales forecast for the console, which is in its eighth year on the market, by 7% to 12.5 million units. That would be down 20% from actual Switch sales of 15.7 million units a year earlier.

It also revised down its annual software sales forecast by 3% to 160 million units.

"For a platform that is in its 8th year in the market, both hardware and software enjoy stable demand and brisk sales," Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa told an online press conference.

"But sales so far fell short of our original projections. Taking into consideration their sales in the first half, we revised our forecasts for both hardware and software, and that led to the earnings revision."

Furukawa said there was no change to Nintendo's plan to announce a successor to its long-lasting Switch console in the current financial year, but did not go into specifics.

Shares in Nintendo closed down 3.9% ahead of the earnings announcements, underperforming the Nikkei average's 1.1% gain.



Saudi Arabia to Hold First Drone and AI Exhibition on Monday

Saudi Arabia to Hold First Drone and AI Exhibition on Monday
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Saudi Arabia to Hold First Drone and AI Exhibition on Monday

Saudi Arabia to Hold First Drone and AI Exhibition on Monday

The inaugural Saudi Arabia AI and Drones Exhibition and Forum (SAADEF) will be in Riyadh held on Monday.

Organized by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, it will be held under the theme "Integration of Drones and Artificial Intelligence".

Supported by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the three-day event will showcase the rapid advances in drone and AI applications in the agricultural sector. It will bring together top exhibitors, investors, and global experts.

SAADEF aims to support Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 by advancing economic diversification and promoting sustainability through innovative technology.

As one of the first exhibitions of its kind in the region, SAADEF represents a milestone in promoting and marketing drone investment in agriculture, further positioning the Kingdom as a regional leader in this high-growth field.