Nintendo NX will be released worldwide in March 2017

The Nintendo NX will be released in March of 2017. The release date of the new gaming platform from the well-known Japanese console and game maker has been announced in a discussion of the annual figures. Further details about the NX are not yet available and the device will not be shown at E3 2016.

In Nintendo’s document, the company deliberately mentions that it is a ‘dedicated game platform’ and a ‘completely new concept’. The word ‘console’ is avoided. The company won’t give the details because they’re not finalized yet. In a discussion of the numbers, Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima does say that the NX will not replace the existing Wii U and 3DS, but will stand next to it as a third platform. That reports WSJ editor Takashi Mochizuki.

Although the NX will not be shown at E3, he does promise that a lot of attention will be paid to the new Zelda game. It will be released for both the NX and the Wii U. The document also mentions a release date of 2017 for that game, which means that the game has been postponed. Originally it was scheduled for release this year.

In terms of sales, Nintendo has some bad news to report. Net profit for the past financial year, ending March 31, 2016, decreased by 61 percent compared to the previous year. Where profits last year amounted to 16.5 billion yen, it was 41.8 billion yen in the previous year. Converted respectively about 131 million and 332 million euros. Nintendo attributes this difference in part to a lack of major, popular releases for the Nintendo 3DS, which it had in the previous year.

To reach a wider audience, Nintendo is also expanding into the mobile games market. However, to date, the company has only released one game, so the effect of this new strategy is yet to be seen. Nintendo still makes via Twitter known that mobile versions of Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem are being worked on.