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Nintendo revised their earnings expectations for the 2002 fiscal year today, the yearlong period ending March 31. The news was not at all good to investors: the company cut its profit expectations to 66 billion yen ($547 million), a 38 percent drop from the 80 billion yen ($663 million) they were expecting to make.
The chief cause of this profit drop was the same issue that's been plaguing Nintendo's Kyoto headquarters for the past year—GameCube console sales aren't making their grade. The company said that 5.6 million Cubes were sold in 2002, a far cry from their previous sales target of 10 million, and software sales fell about 10 million units below their 55-million-unit goal. Global affairs didn't help Nintendo, either: the company lost an estimated 23 billion yen stemming from the yen's high value against the dollar during 2002.
At a press conference in Osaka, Japan, Nintendo senior managing director Yoshihiro Mori was up front with his company's missteps. "Hardware and software sales for the GameCube, our main product, did not produce the numbers we had planned for," he said. "The Game Boy Advance, on the other hand, exceeded our expectations, but we are revising our figures now because overall sales fell below plan."
Mori made note of the success of the PlayStation 2, and the Grand Theft Auto series in particular, as the chief culprit of their problems. "GTA sold overwhelmingly across the world during this fiscal year," he commented. "I think the fact that Nintendo released new Mario and Metroid games that were both overshadowed by GTA was the primary factor" behind the earnings revision.
In response to the reduced earnings, Nintendo announced changes in its game development strategy, including the reconsideration of game difficulty and play time. One major side effect of this—the company will place even greater emphasis on games that use the GameCube-GBA link cable. According to Mori, several link-compatible games will be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo next month.
This earnings news comes hot on the heels of a Japanese report that Capcom will port Resident Evil to multiple platforms instead of keeping new, non-offshoot titles in the series exclusive to the GameCube. The report, which Capcom promptly denied, sent the publisher's stock up to 1208 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, a rise of 20 percent since Friday.
> My girlfriend is now 20 so you got that wrong and she loves being
> driven around in my Lexus. The closest you will ever get to driving
> one is on the Getaway.
20?
Bit of a cradle snatcher then is she?
You know what I find hilarious about you, Top Score, and your imaginary friend, your supposed Top Whóre, is that, well, you take things too far.
Jesus Christ man, it's a console!
A games console!
For enjoyment, for pleasure!
Fun!
You, the public, are meant to buy it, enjoy it, and gain some pleasure from it, not complain about the bloody things sales!
You relentlessly post on how crap the GC/Xbox/PC/Sega Master System is compared to the wonder machine that is the PS2.
Christ, leave people to make up their own minds instead of constantly posting crap such as "har u ninty boyz reed diz an weep".
It really is as irritating as the high pitched squeals your 20 year old girlfriend makes when I make love to her.
...
Oops.
> You relentlessly post on how crap the GC/Xbox/PC/Sega Master System is
Hey! You just leave the Master System out of this one! Don't make me reach out for the manual pause button that is actually on the machine...
Top Score, you are a hero!
*Watches tumbleweed roll by*
> I heard that Nintendo sold up to Sony and all the employees killed
> themselves. I think one of them must have read this and realised they
> had no hope.
> Top Score, you are a hero!
I concur.
> My girlfriend is now 20 so you got that wrong and she loves being
> driven around in my Lexus. The closest you will ever get to driving
> one is on the Getaway.
Lol, you really are pathetic.
> The closest you will ever get to driving one is on the Getaway.
You're right, except that The Getaway sucked, and I only drive in Lambo's now