Nintendo: Western 3DS momentum "currently weak"

3DS sales momentum in Europe and North America is "currently weak", Nintendo has admitted.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explained that Western sales are back in the doldrums, despite a healthy Christmas boost.

"While the Nintendo 3DS has a certain degree of sales momentum in Japan, the momentum in the US and Europe is currently weak," Iwata explained to company shareholders.

"Considering that the US and European markets are larger than the Japanese market in terms of the size of the population, sales in the US and Europe are supposed to be larger."

Back in Nintendo's homeland, the 3DS regularly rules the Japanese hardware chart. Nintendo's weekly 3DS sales total averaged 83,000 at the start of the year, Iwata added, a momentum it has largely upheld.

"Considering that the US and European markets are larger than the Japanese market in terms of the size of the population, sales in the US and Europe are supposed to be larger."

Satoru Iwata, president, Nintendo

"Sales of the Nintendo 3DS are constant in Japan and in fact we could say the sales volume is exceeding our forecast at the start of this fiscal year."

But the situation in Europe and North America is far less rosy, Iwata concluded, hence the imminent arrival of another Mario game, New Super Mario Bros. 2.

"The sales proportion of the Nintendo 3DS is now about 20 per cent of the total video game sales in those markets. Thus, solid sales momentum has not been created."

"For those investors who understand this situation, they might think that our earnings situation will not turn around in the way we have mentioned, or they might think it will take a much longer time than we expect to revitalise the profit situation."