Sony console sales beat Nintendo’s for first time in eight years
The Japanese electronics company has triumphed over rival Nintendo in the sales stakes, but it must innovate to stay on top in an age in which mobile gaming is all the rage
A man plays with a Sony playstation console in Japan. Despite net losses, the company has reason to celebrate as its console sales beat those of Nintendo for the first time in eight years
After three straight years of net losses, Nintendo took another hit this week as it was announced rival Sony had overtaken the company in annual video games sales.
Sony sold 2.4 million more (18.7 million total) video game consoles than Nintendo, according to data from Nikkei business news site. The figures take into account sales of older Playstation and Wii models, as well as Nintendo 3Ds, and were collated using information released by the two companies.
The news is not entirely surprising to industry insiders following reports that Nintendo made a net loss of £135m for the financial year ending March 31. The Japanese electronics company has struggled since its touchscreen Wii U, an evolution of its original Wii, failed to replicate the success of its predecessor. Nintendo has recently made known plans to close European headquarters in Germany, resulting in the loss of 130 jobs, in an effort to get finances back on track.
With smartphone gaming on the rise, it has never been more important for the two companies to innovate in order to keep consumer interest high – and the battle looks to be tight. With Nintendo due to release its Super Smash Bros 4 – the latest incarnation of its classic Mario Brothers franchise – later this year, it will be interesting to see if this highly anticipated game could put Nintendo back on top.
