Wii U consoles still selling at a loss

By Brenna Hillier

Nintendo has confirmed that it’s not making any money on the sale of Wii U consoles.

A representative confirmed the news with GamesIndustry today, explaining figures found in the company’s recent financial results.

Nintendo had said that Wii U hardware sales figures were a significant contributing factor to its $387 million operating loss this past financial year. Knowing that each hardware unit sold does not generate a profit margin goes somewhere towards easing fears that the console is barely selling – but not far, given other warning signs like publishers showing no interest and major chains cancelling orders.

It also suggests we won’t see a hardware price drop for quite some time, although Nintendo did surprise analaysts with its sudden 3DS price drop, which helped boost the portable to its current success.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has promised a return to “Nintendo-like’ profits” this year.