Super Mario Galaxy 2 debuts May 23, Metroid: Other M due June 27

SAN FRANCISCO–Nintendo continues to rake in gobs of money, but it showed signs of slowing in 2009. During the same year in which lifetime Wii sales topped 67 million worldwide and the DS sold its 125 millionth unit, the Japanese gaming company saw profit dive 9.4 percent to ¥192.6 billion ($2.14 billion) on sales that had slipped 23 percent to ¥1.18 trillion ($13 billion) for the first nine months of its in-progress fiscal year. The reasons for Nintendo’s current travails are multifarious, ranging from appreciation of Japan’s currency in the world market to slowing sales of its juggernaut console and handheld. More ominously, though, recent research indicates that the publisher is losing the support of the third-party development community. As one recent example, Ubisoft said that it would be deemphasizing its strong Wii and DS support in favor of refocusing resources on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Nintendo also finds itself challenged in its bread-and-butter handheld market, thanks to Apple’s ubiquitous iPhone. That situation could complicate further with the introduction of the iPad, though Nintendo has been quick to marginalize the device. Plus, the publisher’s console may lose its greatest competitive advantage later this year, when Microsoft and Sony… Read full this story

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