I'm pretty sure I've read interviews given by Nintendo execs acknowledging that the Gamecube was a failure, or at least a disappointment. I can't seem to find the sources I was thinking of, though, so I may be making that up. In any case, the Gamecube alienated third party developers and "lost" the console war of its generation. Returning to that sort of scenario after the domination of the Wii would be. . .well, not a disaster exactly, but a pretty solid blow to Nintendo. Even if a net profit was made.