Nintendo Co. said Tuesday its net profit rose 51.3 percent from a year ago to 358.86 billion yen ($2.31 billion) in the nine months through December, driven by strong demand for the Switch 2 gaming console.

Operating profit came to 300.39 billion yen, up 21.3 percent, as sales nearly doubled to 1.91 trillion yen, according to the company.

Nintendo maintained its earnings forecast for the current business year through March, with net profit expected to climb 25.5 percent to 350 billion yen.

Operating profit is projected to rise 30.9 percent to 370 billion yen, with sales likely to jump 93.1 percent to 2.25 trillion yen.

==Kyodo

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