TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo Co. is reporting its profit for the first three fiscal quarters nearly doubled as people around the world stayed home for the pandemic and turned to playing games. The Japanese video-game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises reported Monday that its April-December profit surged to $3.6 billion. Nintendo’s nine-month sales jumped 37% to $13 billion. Kyoto-based Nintendo’s success has come on the back of the popularity of its Switch console, as well as game software like “Animal Crossing: New Horizons.” The October-December quarter is always crucial for Nintendo because of year-end holiday shopping.
