TOKYO (AP) Video game maker Nintendo sank to a loss in the latest quarter as sales of its Wii U game console continued to be eroded by a shift to gaming on smartphones and tablets.
The Kyoto-based maker of Pokemon and Super Mario reported an 8 billion yen ($81 million) loss Wednesday for the three months ended Sept. 30. That virtually wiped out an 8.6 billion yen profit the previous quarter. Sales totaled 115 billion yen, a slight drop from the same quarter last year.
Quarterly Wii U sales nearly doubled to 300,000 units from 160,000 in the previous three months, but the total remained far short of the company's goal of 9 million units for the fiscal year ending next March.
The company's business has been shaken in recent years as more people play games on their smartphone and tablets. So far Nintendo has resisted offering its games on those platforms, but analysts say continued poor performance could force a change in strategy.
The company cut the price of Wii U console last month.
