By Yuri Kageyama, Business Writer
TOKYO (AP) --Nintendo posted an 8.28 billion yen ($67 million) profit for the fiscal first quarter, helped by better sales and a cheap yen, but did not announce a new president to lead the company after the death this month of Satoru Iwata.
Quarterly sales at Nintendo Co., the Japanese video-game maker of the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises, rose 20 percent to 90.2 billion yen ($729 million).
The future direction of the Kyoto-based company could change, depending on who succeeds Iwata. Earlier this year, Nintendo did an about-face and announced it would go into games for mobile devices, a move it had scoffed for years.
No successor for Iwata has been announced, and the company has said it will take its time.
Iwata, president from 2002, was a highly visible spokesman for Nintendo, and many in the game industry mourned the 55-year-old's death, which followed a long illness.
Nintendo has said star game designer Shigeru Miyamaoto will remain in the leadership team along with Genyo Takeda. It is unclear whether one of them would be the next president.
Nintendo had reported a 9.9 billion yen loss for the first quarter of the previous fiscal year.
The manufacturer of the Wii U home console left its annual profit forecast unchanged at 35 billion yen ($283 million).
Nintendo said sales were strong for the 3DS hand-held device, as well as for its amiibo figures.
Nintendo sold 470,000 Wii U machines for the April-June period this year, down from 510,000 the same quarter the previous year. It expects to sell 3.4 million for the year through March 2016.
Foreign exchange gains added 10.8 billion yen to operating income in the quarter, Nintendo said.
The company returned to profit in the fiscal year ended March 2015, after several years of losses.
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
“I’ve... Read More