Nintendo has confirmed that its new video game system will launch in March 2017, and has given details on its new Zelda game and next forays into mobile gaming after the smash hit Miitomo, as part of an earnings call held overnight.
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The Japanese gaming giant had previously been expected to bring its new machine — which is codenamed NX — to market this year, although this is the first time it has officially given a date. While the company confirmed the machine will not be appearing at this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, it will be unveiled "later this year".
The device is not a successor to the company's handheld or stationary consoles, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima told Japanese newspaper Nikkei, but rather has been designed "with a new way of thinking". Rumours indicate it will be a hybrid machine that uses advanced wireless tech to let you play at home on the TV or on a smaller handheld screen when you're out and about.
Alongside the NX announcement, Nintendo revealed that its most anticipated upcoming game — a new entry in The Legend of Zelda series — was being pushed back so that it could be released on the new machine.
The new game was originally unveiled at E3 2014, and the last time it was seen — at The Game Awards in December 2014 — it was was set to release on Nintendo's Wii U console in 2015. It was later officially delayed, and now Nintendo has said that Wii U and NX versions of the game have been under simultaneous development for some time and will release in 2017. While NX may not be a traditional games machine, this announcement at least makes it clear the device will play traditional games.
The Wii U version of the new Zelda will be playable for the first time at E3, and in fact it will be the only game the company brings to the trade show, a move Nintendo said is designed to allow attendees "complete immersion". This announcement has caused some hand-wringing among fans who worry that no games are coming between now and Zelda in early 2017, but this may not be the case.
Nintendo has increasingly distanced itself from the press-focused E3 in recent years, instead opting to make its game announcements through live streams and recorded videos pitched directly at fans (at least one of which we know is coming later in the year, to unveil NX). That said, Wii U has been Nintendo's least successful machine in a long time, and at some point Nintendo would have shifted the bulk of its development resources over to the new machine.
Two new smartphone apps were revealed during the earnings call, following up Miitomo, Nintendo's first ever smartphone app, which has attracted more than 10 million users. While Miitomo takes the form of a social app, the new releases will be traditional games based on existing Nintendo series, Kimishima said, specifically the strategic role-playing series Fire Emblem and the community simulation series Animal Crossing. The two apps are set to launch in Australia this spring.
More #Nintendo apps are coming to smart devices, including Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing! pic.twitter.com/PfsNrrDxTa — Nintendo AU NZ (@NintendoAUNZ) April 27, 2016
As for the actual earnings announcements, Nintendo reported a net profit of ¥16.5 billion ($195 million) for the financial year ending March 31, down from ¥41.8 billion ($494 million) the year earlier, which is a 61 per cent drop. This is despite the core business of making and selling products bringing an operating income of ¥32.9 billion, up 32.7 per cent from last year, with currency fluctuations blamed for the difference.
Kimishima said the upcoming year will see growth in Nintendo's new mobile business, as well as "new products for our dedicated video game systems, new and continued progress in our efforts to increase the number of consumers experiencing our IP through games, licensing and expanded entertainment".
