Given the fact that the 3DS is still selling like well in all territories, and that the WiiU is outselling what the Wii sold at this time in its cycle, I don't think there's any evidence of Nintendo doing poorly now or in the future. The WiiU will probably sell less than the Wii, but it doesn't have to to be profitable. The average attachment rate for the Wii was less than 2 games a console.
But the 3DS and the WiiU are built and marketed very differently than the Wii. They have a much greater focus on the games rather than the system. Sure, this means they lose out on the "those-who-just-want-Wii-sports" market, but they appeal to the types of people who buy actual games instead. If Nintendo can look past the lower console sales numbers, and properly support the WiiU with good 3rd party content and Nintendo-ass Nintendo games, they could turn a good profit.
Not to mention the fact that, especially in Japan, titles sell consoles. On the 3DS this year loads of franchises known to bump up system sales in Japan are being released, such as Monster Hunter 4 (the last portable MH game on the PSP practically saved that console in Japan) and new Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing and Pokemon games. The WiiU hasn't even got a big Nintendo game on it yet, and is still selling fine.
I don't really see Nintendo changing much in the next 5 years outside of finally moving into proper online support, but maybe I'm just an optimist.
Log in to comment