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Sega earnings suffer from Yakuza delay, 'sluggish' Western game sales
Sega Sammy's consumer game division -- a.k.a. Sega games -- brought in ¥89.55 billion ($1.1 billion) in sales over the last fiscal year (ending March 31), down 26.5 percent from the previous year. Operating income declined even more sharply to ¥2 billion ($24.8 million), down 68.9 percent. While the previous fiscal year saw major success from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, this latest 2010–11 fiscal year was an off-year for the two Olympians, who were in training for their next competition. Sonic's less sporting pastime, Sonic Colors, was the bestseller in Sega's lineup, moving 2.18 million copies worldwide. It was followed by ... Iron Man 2, which sold 1.54 million. Vanquish, which everyone without Stark Industries stock would agree is the better robot-suit game, only managed about half of that achievement at 830,000 units sold. Shogun 2: Total War and Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (which only came out in Japan) rounded out Sega's "major" lineup with 600,000 and 370,000 copies sold, respectively. Sega said that sales were slow in North America and Europe due to "the adverse market condition," noting "sluggish personal consumption" in those regions (which ... didn't seem to be an issue for everybody). Additionally, Sega's big Japanese release, Yakuza: Of the End, was delayed out of the fiscal year as a result of the Tohoku earthquake in March, further reducing the company's bottom line. Overall, however, Sega Sammy about doubled its net profits from the previous year to ¥41.51 billion (roughly $513 million) on the strength of its pachislot and pachinko business.
Colonel Sanders returns from the grave to help you in Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity
How could Sega top its outrageous ad integration campaign for Phantasy Star Portable 2? What could entice you to buy the upgraded version of the PSP action RPG? The answer to both of those questions is Colonel Sanders. Famitsu snapped images from a Sega stage presentation during TGS, revealing a Kentucky Fried Chicken partnership for Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity that puts a Colonel Sanders partner character in the game. In addition, more KFC partnerships will be revealed, though we can't imagine how they'll top this. Perhaps you'll get a blend of 11 herbs and spices with which you can attack Rappies.
Sega announces Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity in Japan
Though North America's still a few weeks away from getting its collective hands on Phantasy Star Portable 2, Sega's Satoshi Sakai announced to Famitsu that a fancy, extended version of the game will be released in Japan this year. Subtitled Infinity, the expansion will feature new visual lobbies in online multiplayer modes (similar to the original Phantasy Star Online), a respeccing tool for lower-level characters, a new playable race for advanced players, and a completely new campaign storyline which takes place after the events of the original PSP2. The new edition is slated to arrive in Japan some time this winter. The non-Infinity version of Phantasy Star Portable 2 is set to drop in North America on September 14. For more info on Infinity's super esoteric changes and improvements, check out 1UP's overview of the Famitsu reveal.
