Nintendo Reports 268 Million Consoles, 385 Million Handhelds Sold in 30 Years

Though Nintendo’s latest, tablet-controller-focused home console, the Wii U, is struggling to gain traction among consumers, Nintendo released a positivity-infused financial report today highlighting their success with console sales in the 30 years it’s been in the business.

In short, the game company has overall sold nearly 269 million home consoles, including the NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube and Wii, as well as 385 million handheld gaming systems in its lifetime, like the Game Boy and Nintendo DS.

In terms of game sales, Nintendo has 2,195.09 million home console games off the shelves and into the record books, not to mention 1,907.25 million handheld games sold in the company’s 30-year time in the game industry.

Last week, Nintendo reported that it had sold a paltry 160,000 Wii U systems during the first fiscal quarter of 2013 (April – June), with sales of the system at a mere 3.61 million since its launch in November of last year. The company points to the lack of iconic first-party characters and their games on the platform, a problem that Nintendo seems to be trying to fix with the recently released Pikmin 3 and the forthcoming release of games like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD and Super Mario 3D World.

That’s not to say that some games haven’t nested well on the new console — as first party darlings like New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land have done exceedingly well for a console launch, at 1.97 million units and 2.18 million units sold respectively. Third party games, albeit ones with solid potential, didn’t fare quite as well given the low adoption rate.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that they [the company] “strive to regain ‘Nintendo-like’ profits for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014.” It also wants to continue making games that anyone can play and enjoy, “regardless of age, gender, or gaming experience.” And if it’s going to do that, it’s clear that the system simply needs not only desirable games, but more games in general.

The lengthy report contains a parade of fascinating, nostalgic images focused on the company’s cheery, character-driven culture, created by both the games and their players over the past 30 years. The report concludes with an absolute barrage of sales statistics, a timeline of Nintendo’s product history, and a detailed note from president Iwata.