Quarterly operating profit was well above expectations for Nintendo, growing 428%. Containment isn't for nothing either.

Nintendo on Thursday reported quarterly operating profit well above expectations and up 428%, driven by strong sales of its Switch console and the success of its game "Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands", which Like the entire video game sector, has seen increased demand against a backdrop of containment in many countries around the world.

Nintendo on Thursday reported quarterly operating profit well above expectations and up 428%, driven by strong sales of its Switch console and the success of its game "Animal Crossing: New Horizons", which Like the entire video game sector, has seen increased demand against a backdrop of containment in many countries around the world.

Over the three months to the end of June, the operating profit of the Japanese video game designer and publisher stood at 144.7 billion yen (around 1.5 billion euros), while analysts polled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate l were expecting an average of 71 billion yen.

Animal Crossing: 22.4 million units sold

While the health crisis linked to the new coronavirus has shaken many business sectors, Nintendo has fared well, the containment having increased demand for its titles, including Animal Crossing free bells, which sold to 10.6 million units during the April-June period, the first quarter of its staggered fiscal year. In total, the game has now sold 22.4 million units.

During the past quarter, Nintendo also sold 5.7 copies of its Switch consoles, including three million of its Switch hybrid console (portable but can also be connected to a TV) and 2.6 million copies of its Switch Lite portable console, launched last September.

The Tokyo-based group has confirmed its full-year Switch sales forecast at 19 million units. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa had previously warned that the surge in activity linked to the health crisis would be temporary.