Nintendo has reduced its profit forecast from 300 billion yen to 230 billion yen ($2.54b/£1.54b) for the business year ending March 2010.

The annual drop in profits would mark the company’s first in six years and comes on the back of a disappointing first half of fiscal 2009.

Net income fell 52 per cent to 69.5 billion yen ($766.4m/£466.6m) in the six months ended September 30, while sales declined 34.5 per cent to 548 billion yen ($6b/£3.7b).

The company sold 5.75 million Wii units during the period and 76.21 million Wii games.

Worldwide DS sales were 11.7 million units, with 71.15 million games sold.

“Sales and income during this six month period were adversely affected by appreciation of the yen and the price cut on Wii hardware,” Nintendo said in a statement.