Nintendo Thursday reported both record sales and profit in the first quarter of the year, despite the recession and a softening of sales of the Wii console in Japan. Profit rose 8.5 percent in the year ended March 31, the company reported.

By Stephen Silver

Nintendo Thursday reported both record sales and profit in the first quarter of the year, despite the recession and a softening of sales of the Wii console in Japan. Profit rose 8.5 percent in the year ended March 31, the company reported.

Despite the halving of Wii sales in Japan, the company posted a 57 percent rise in North American Wii sales, as well as 69 percent in other markets, adding up to Wii sales of 25.95 million units, a 39 percent rise from the year before. In addition, DS rose, as the new DSi console was introduced.

"The video game industry, which was less impacted by the economic downturn than most industries, remained relatively stable in spite of the large consumer spending decline," the company said in a statement.

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