Nintendo posted a strong holiday quarter financially but slashed its forecast for full-year Switch console sales.
The gaming giant reported operating profit of $1.45 billion for its fiscal third quarter (October-to-December 2018), beating expectations of $1.37 billion, according to Reuters. It also beat expectations with $5.6 billion in revenue.
Nintendo sold 9.41 million Switch consoles during the three-month period, its best quarter yet. But the company brought its full-year Switch sales forecast down from 20 million units to 17 million for its fiscal year, which ends in March.
Total lifetime sales of the popular hybrid home/mobile console, which debuted in March 2017, is now at 32.27 million. Nintendo announced last month that the Switch is the fastest-selling game console in the United States of the current generation of consoles. The Switch has already exceeded its immediate predecessor, the Wii U, in lifetime unit sales.
By comparison, the PlayStation 4 sold 30 million units in the 24 months after its launch, according to Sony.
On the games side, Nintendo reported 12.08 million units sold of the popular Super Smash Bros. Ultimate title, and 10 million units sold of its Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! Total lifetime Switch software sales reached 163.61 million. The company is expected to release highly-anticipated games including Animal Crossing and Pokémon-related titles this year.
Nintendo also announced that its Mario Kart Tour smartphone game release will be delayed to this summer.
