Nintendo shares slide 11% as Switch 2 momentum fears grow

(Refiles to fix Reuters Instrument Code) By Sam Nussey TOKYO, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Nintendo shares slid 11% on Wednesday as investors fretted about momentum for its flagship Switch 2 gaming device. The Kyoto-based gaming company on Tuesday reported robust sales for the Switch 2 during the year-end shopping season, though the system is viewed as lacking high-profile game titles to drive demand. The "Super Mario" maker kept its annual net profit forecast at 350 billion yen ($2.24 billion), lower than an estimate of 406 billion yen from 27 analysts polled by LSEG. "Results are good with (the Switch 2) breaking records" but "not great," Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a client note. Investor enthusiasm over the prospects for a successor to the wildly popular Switch helped push shares to a record high last year, but they have been sliding since November. Early momentum for the Switch 2, which launched in June, is viewed as critical for building a user base to ensure the long-term strength of the system. "The run is just starting and the platform is growing rapidly," Goyal wrote. Nintendo extended the life of the original Switch with blockbuster titles including two major entries in "The Legend of Zelda" franchise. "The new Switch 2 console is not selling as (much) software as its predecessor did," Amir Anvarzadeh of Asymmetric Advisors wrote in a note. Roblox and Take-Two Interactive's "Grand Theft Auto VI," which is due to launch in November, are also competing for the attention of gamers, Anvarzadeh said. Investors are also concerned about what impact rising prices of memory chips will have on Nintendo's margins. The company said the price surge is not significantly impacting earnings this financial year, but could pressure profitability if high prices persist over the long term. "Console profitability will decline further starting next fiscal year due to the ongoing surge in memory prices," Morningstar analyst Kazunori Ito wrote in a note. (Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)

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