TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo posted a 51% rise in profit for the first three quarters of the fiscal year as the Japanese video-game maker continued to score success with its revamped Switch machine.
For the April-December period, Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. said Tuesday that it recorded a 358.9 billion yen ($2.3 billion) profit, up from 237 billion yen the same period a year earlier.
Sales nearly doubled, surging 99%, to 1.9 trillion yen ($12 billion) in the same period, on healthy demand for the Switch 2 console, which went on sale last year.
Switch machines are so-called hybrids, working both as a home console and a portable device. The screen is bigger and the graphics quality has improved in the upgrade.
Nintendo, owner of the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises, stuck to its projection for a 350 billion yen ($2.3 billion) net profit for the fiscal year through March.
It’s expecting to sell 19 million Switch 2 machines during the fiscal year. It had already sold nearly 17.4 million Switch 2 machines as of the end of December, the briskest sales rollout for a Nintendo game console.
As for Switch 2 software, Nintendo has sold some 14 million units of the “Mario Kart World” game. Nintendo claims some 129 million people around the world are playing the Switch.
The challenge is whether the company can continue to roll out attractive software to keep the sales momentum going. Analysts say rising computer chip prices may also prove a challenge.
Atul Goyal, an analyst at Jefferies, noted worries about weakening sales of the Switch 2 were overblown, as seen in its strong sales in December, a key shopping season for toys and games.
“We maintain that fears regarding memory cost hike are speculative and strategically manageable,” he said in a recent report.
More games are planned for the Super Mario Brothers franchise, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, as well as a new Splatoon game, according to Nintendo.
Outside companies are also planning Switch 2 titles, including a “Biohazard” and “Final Fantasy” offerings.
Nintendo stocks, which climbed over the summer months then gradually declined to about the same level they were a year ago, jumped 1.8% Tuesday.
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
FILE -A Nintendo logo is seen June 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
OSLO, Norway (AP) — The trial of the son of Norway’s crown princess, on charges that include rape, started on Tuesday, opening weeks of proceedings in a case that has cast a shadow on the royal family’s image.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon. He has no royal title or official duties.
Høiby has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on various allegations of wrongdoing.
Høiby took his seat at the Oslo district court Tuesday morning for the trial, which is scheduled to last until March 19.
He faces 38 counts. They include rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner, acts of violence against another and transporting 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) of marijuana. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations.
Prosecutors have said Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. Seven alleged victims are expected to testify. Parts of the proceedings, particularly their testimony, will be held behind closed doors.
Høiby’s defense team has said that he “denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence.”
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
OSLO, Norway (AP) — The son of Norway's crown princess is going on trial Tuesday on charges that include rape, opening proceedings that are expected to last several weeks in a case that has cast a shadow on the royal family's image.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon. He has no royal title or official duties.
Høiby has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on various allegations of wrongdoing. He was indicted in August but was free pending trial until Sunday, when police said he was arrested over new allegations of assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order.
The Oslo district court on Monday granted their request to keep him in detention for up to four weeks on the grounds of a risk of reoffending. Defense lawyer Petar Sekulic said the arrest followed an alleged “incident” involving another person on Sunday. He declined to give details, but said Høiby contests his detention and his legal team was considering an appeal as soon as he and the other person can provide statements to police.
In the trial opening Tuesday at the Oslo court, Høiby faces 38 counts. They include rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner, acts of violence against another and transporting 3.5 kilos (7.7 pounds) of marijuana. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations.
Prosecutors have said he could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted at the trial, which is scheduled to last until March 19. The court has said parts of the proceedings will be held behind closed doors.
The indictment centers on four alleged rapes between 2018 and November 2024; alleged violence and threats against a former partner between the summer of 2022 and the fall of 2023; and two alleged acts of violence against a subsequent partner, along with violations of a restraining order.
Høiby's defense team has said that he “denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence.”
Haakon said last week that he and Mette-Marit do not plan to attend the trial and that the royal house does not intend to comment during the proceedings.
King Harald, 88, and the royals are generally popular in Norway, but the Høiby case has been a problem for the family's image.
And Høiby's trial is opening just as Mette-Marit faces renewed scrutiny over her past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein following the release on Friday of a new batch of documents from the Epstein files. They contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.
Mette-Marit said in a statement that she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.” She added: “I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.”
Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Members of the media gather ahead of the first day of the trial against Marius Borg Høiby in Oslo, Norway Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)
FILE - Norway's Marius Borg Hoiby and Crown Princess Mette-Marit in Oslo, June 16, 2022. (Lise Aserud/NTB via AP, File)
