fiscal-2012
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Take-Two year-on-year revenue up, digital sales on the rise
Take-Two announced its financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, revealing that the company took in $1.214 billion in sales last year, up from $825.8 million for the fiscal year 2012. Take-Two notes that BioShock Infinite met with "significantly" higher sales than any previous BioShock release, shipping over 3.7 million units to date. The company reports a net loss of $31.2 million over the past fiscal year, but projects between $1.75 to $1.85 billion in revenue for the current fiscal year (ending in March, 2014), spurred by upcoming releases like Grand Theft Auto V and WWE 2K14. The report notes year-over-year improvements in both revenue and net losses, bolstered by big sellers like Borderlands 2, NBA 2K13, and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Catalog sales for older releases like Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption also saw strong performances, as Take Two noted a 192 percent year-over-year rise in revenue from digitally delivered software.
Namco Bandai's year-end revenues rise despite missing Tekken target
Namco Bandai released its financial results for the end of its fiscal year today, noting increased earnings in multiple sectors despite missing sales targets for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Tales of Xillia 2. The company's worldwide net sales grew by 7.3 percent, ending this fiscal year at ¥487 billion (approximately $4.9B), compared to last year's earnings of ¥434 billion. Namco Bandai's net income for the year ending March 31, 2013 was ¥32.4 billion ($327M), a 67.8 percent increase over last year's reported ¥19.3 billion. Regional sales saw significant boosts. Net sales of Namco Bandai products in Japan increased 7.3 percent year-over-year to ¥406 billion ($4.1B), while sales for the Americas rose 38.3 percent, finishing at ¥33.6 billion ($339M). The report additionally reveals that Namco Bandai failed to meet shipping targets for some of its key titles. Siliconera notes that Namco Bandai expected to ship 1.7 million units of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 worldwide, but came up short at 1.5 million. The Japan-exclusive RPG Tales of Xillia 2 shipped 500,000, missing its initial target of 650,000 units. Other big titles for the company include SoulCalibur V, which shipped 1.05 million units worldwide in the fiscal year ending in March, and two entries in its Naruto Shippuden series, which shipped a combined 1.76 million units across all regions.
Konami reports year-over-year losses, strength in social games
Konami has released details of its financial performance in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, reporting sizable year-on-year losses in its digital entertainment and pachinko divisions but growth in its social gaming sector. Company product sales and service revenue for the year amounted to ¥226 billion ($2.4B), down 15 percent from its earnings of ¥266 billion last year. Net income sank to ¥13.2 billion ($140M), a decrease of 42.8% compared to last year's reported income of ¥23 billion. Konami saw its largest losses in the pachinko sector, in which revenue fell more than 70 percent compared to last year. The company's Digital Entertainment division reported a loss of 17.1 percent in year-on-year revenue, though solid worldwide performances for titles like Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance boosted earnings. Konami's finances are buoyed by the success of Metal Gear Solid Social Ops and another popular online game, Dragon Collection, which it operates in partnership with Japanese social networking service GREE. Konami's social games currently boast more than 35 million registered users worldwide.
Nintendo downloadable game sales more than double this year
Wii U sales may be struggling but Nintendo's download business is booming. As part of its financial briefing today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that the company's downloadable game sales surpassed ¥16 billion ($160.9 million), more than doubling sales of the previous year. Download sales also handily eclipsed the banner year of 2010, when "both the Wii and Nintendo DSi systems were actively used."Iwata noted that the majority of Nintendo customers have taken their 3DS online. That includes 87 percent of users in Japan and 83 percent in America. Europe's connection rate is significantly lower at 57 percent. The Wii U, meanwhile, has an 80 percent connection rate worldwide.Iwata also mentioned the surprising viewing habits for the company's Nintendo Direct presentations. For recent presentations, he said, "it became common to see total views for a single video reach five hundred to six hundred thousand in a matter of about 10 days on the Nintendo eShop while they did not show apparent growth on YouTube." In fact, it seems that the eShop is now the most popular source for Nintendo Direct, accounting for "approximately 60 to 70 percent" of total views. That might sound like a surprising statistic, especially given the immense presence of YouTube, but Iwata noted that the eShop appeals to viewers "who do not own their own PCs or smart devices."
Konami revenues, income down year-over-year, still profitable
Konami has released its year-to-date financial information for the nine month period ending on December 31, 2012, and while the company has posted significant year-over-year losses, it is still reporting a profit in all areas.So far, Konami has accrued revenues of ¥160.1 billion ($1.71 billion), down nearly 18 percent from the ¥194.5 billion it had earned by the end of calendar 2011. Likewise, net income (read: post-tax profit) was down 48 percent; ¥8.82 billion ($94.6 million) as compared with the ¥17 billion reported this time last year. Konami's "Digital Entertainment" division, responsible for all video games and Yu-Gi-Oh cards, brought in roughly half of the company's overall revenues with ¥80.5 billion ($861.1 million) reported.Konami also produces a wide assortment of slot machines and pachinko games for western and Japanese markets: Its "Gaming & Systems" and "Pachinko & Pachinko Slot Machines" segments, respectively. While all of Konami's divisions suffered losses, its Pachinko division experienced the most severe year-over-year disparity, reporting a 77.8 percent decrease in revenue versus last year.
Zynga posts $209.4 million loss for 2012
Though 2012 was a rough year Zynga – with the company seeing studio closures, layoffs and departures – the casual game developer and publisher fared better financially than it did in 2011. Zynga ended 2011 in the red to the tune of $404.3 million, while the company has posted a net loss of just $209.4 million in 2012. Year-end revenues stacked up at $1.28 billion; a 12 percent increase over 2011.The difference between Zynga's overall Q4 revenue in 2012 and 2011 is negligible: $311.1 million as compared with $311.2 million, respectively. Online game revenues were down by three percent year-over-year, while advertising revenue was up by 35 percent, cresting $36 million. Year-over-year net losses are dramatically different, however, with Q4 2012's loss of $48.5 million an 88 percent decrease from the $435 million loss posted in Q4 of 2011.Looking forward, Zynga anticipates a net loss for Q1 2013, somewhere in the ballpark of $12 million to $32 million.
Take-Two Interactive bags 405% year-over-year profit increase during Q3 2013
Take-Two Interactive has released its financial report for the three month period ending on December 31, 2012, or "Q3 2013" in technical terms. The company raked in net revenue (read: gross income) of $415.7 million during that period; a 75.9 percent increase over the $236.3 million it earned in Q3 of fiscal 2012.Net income (read: profit) was also up year-over-year, $71.3 million during Q3 2013 versus $14.1 million in 2012, which is an astonishing 405.9 percent increase. Meanwhile, Take-Two's nine month year-to-date figures are reporting a loss of $51.9 million, down from the $41.9 million loss reported at this same time in fiscal 2012.Revenues accrued from digital sales were up 244 percent year-over-year, an increase that Take-Two attributes to Borderlands, Borderlands 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, NBA 2k13, the Grand Theft Auto series and all of those games' respective DLC.
Ubisoft posts 32.3 million euro loss for first half of fiscal 2012, expects big Q3
Ubisoft has released its earnings for the first six months of fiscal 2012, which ran from April 1, 2012 through September 30, 2012. In that time, the publisher garnered overall initial profits of €192.7 million (about $246.8 million), which is a 21 percent increase over the €158.4 million ($202.9 million) Ubisoft had accrued by this time last year.After deducting research and development costs and SG&A expenses, however, that figure drops to a loss of €32.3 million, or $41.3 million. That loss is less substantial than the €37.1 million loss Ubisoft posted at the end of the first half of fiscal 2011, to the tune of 14.8 percent.Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot attributes the year-over-year increase in gross profits to Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (its performance in the digital segment, specifically) and Just Dance 4, while also claiming that the operating loss reported for this period was due to "large-scale marketing campaigns for Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 3."Looking forward, Guillemot predicts a "record" second half for fiscal 2012, based on the anticipated performance of Assassin's Creed 3, Far Cry 3 and Ubisoft's stable of upcoming Wii U titles. As such, the company's year-end target for sales has been increased from a range of €1.16 - €1.20 billion to €1.20 - €1.26 billion. Similarly, Ubi's target range for operating income has been raised slightly, from €70 - €90 million to €70 - €100 million.
Square Enix sales up, profits down in first half
After releasing its revised forecast for the first half of its fiscal year last week, Square Enix has announced the actual results (PDF). Surprise, surprise, the revised forecasts were right on the money, with the company reporting net sales of ¥61 billion ($760 million) for the six months ended September 30, an increase of ¥3.5 billion ($43.6 million) over the same period last year. As forecast, Square has posted a ¥5.4 billion ($67 million) net loss during the past six months, compared to a ¥3.7 billion net income during the same period last year.The company's performance is laid at the feet of lower than expected console game sales, development costs for mobile games and "sluggish" arcade machine sales and revenues. Last week's forecast specifically mentioned slow sales of "a major HD game title," presumably Sleeping Dogs, which launched in August.
Sega Sammy sales and profits down in first half, consumer business sees growth
Sega Sammy has reported its financial results (PDF) for the first half of its fiscal year, ending March 31, 2012. The company reported sales of over ¥136 billion ($1.7 billion) a decrease of ¥16 billion ($199,000) over the same period last year. Net income reached ¥3.87 billion ($48 million), a slight decrease over the ¥3.98 billion ($49 million) reported for the same period last year.Sega Sammy attributes the decline to "turmoil in the global financial markets, mainly in Europe, and the economic slowdown of emerging nations." As a result, sales of amusement machines (pachinko, etc) slowed, as did the sale of packaged video games.It's not all bad news, however, as Sega's consumer video game business is one of the few sectors of the company to see some growth. The division posted an operating loss of ¥780 million ($9.7 million), a dramatic improvement over the ¥6 billion loss ($74.7 million) posted during the same period last year. Part of this growth is attributed to strong Japanese sales of Hatsune Miku Project Diva F for the PlayStation Vita. Phantasy Star Online 2 has also done well, registering over a million players and exceeding Sega's in-game purchase forecasts.Earlier this year, the company announced plans to restructure and streamline its consumer video game business, resulting in staff cuts in Europe and America and the closure of offices in Europe and Australia. Going forward, the publisher plans to focus on digital distribution and its core brands, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and Aliens.
Square Enix lowers financial forecast in wake of slow sales
Square Enix has revised its financial forecast (PDF) for both the six month period ending September 30 and its fiscal year ending March 31, 2013. Expected sales for the six month period have been reduced from ¥76 billion ($952 million) to ¥61 billion ($763 million). Projected net income for the period has been reduced from breaking even to a ¥5.4 billion loss ($67 million).The fiscal year forecast, meanwhile, has dropped from ¥165 billion ($2 billion) to ¥150 billion ($1.8 billion), with expected net income dropping from ¥9 billion ($112 million) to ¥3.5 billion ($43 million).The reasons behind the revision in the six month period, according to Square Enix, were "sluggish sales" of new arcade machines and that "sales of a major HD game title have been growing at a slower pace than expected." Presumably, the game in question is Sleeping Dogs, which was released this past August to generally favorable reviews. The notice also cites the "delays of a social game service launch." Fiscal year revisions were made in light of the aforementioned issues and "uncertainties of the business environment."Square Enix's next major release is Hitman: Absolution. Agent 47 returns on November 20.
Square Enix sees 6 billion yen profit in fiscal 2012 thanks to Deus Ex, FFXIII-2
Square Enix's financial results for fiscal 2012 have been posted, and thanks to the releases of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Final Fantasy XIII-2, the developer has ended the year in the black, to the tune of a ¥6.06 billion (or $75.9 million) profit.Total income from sales for the fiscal year, which for Square Enix ran from April 2011 through March 2012, totaled up to ¥127.89 billion ($1.6 billion) – a 2.1 percent year-over-year increase. After subtracting taxes and operating costs, the company was left with over ¥6 billion in profit, which must be welcome news for stockholders still feeling the sting from Square Enix's ¥12.04 billion ($150.86 million) loss in fiscal 2011."In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, we continued our efforts aimed at increasing profitability, including establishing best practices for the content in said growth areas, improving quality of our major online game, and strengthening our global structure," said Square Enix president Yoichi Wada in a statement accompanying the financial report. "We are accelerating the reformation to generate a substantial earnings improvement in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013 and beyond."
Sony's fiscal 2012 results: $820 million loss due to floods, earthquakes and exchange rates
Sony's financial results for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2012 are in, with the Japanese giant reporting year-over-year losses in revenue and operating losses that it attributes to "the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange rates, the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the floods in Thailand, and deterioration in market conditions in developed countries."Sony's fiscal 2012 ran from April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012, with the company reporting net revenue of ¥6.49 trillion ($79.1 billion), down 9.6 percent year-over-year from the ¥7.18 trillion (approx. $89 billion) reported at the end of fiscal 2010. After expenses, Sony reports an operating loss of ¥67.3 billion ($820 million), which is actually a smaller loss than that reported at the end of fiscal 2011 (¥199.8 billion/approx $2 billion).Year-over-year sales decreases were primarily due to Sony's Consumer Products & Services (CPS) and Professional, Device & Solutions (PDS) divisions, with CPS sales down 18.5 percent at ¥3.13 trillion ($38.2 billion) in 2012 vs. ¥3.84 trillion (approx. $48 billion) in 2011, resulting in an operating loss of ¥229.8 billion ($2.8 billion) – more than a 2,000 percent decrease from 2011's operating income of ¥10.8 billion (approx. $135 million). CPS encompasses Sony's consumer electronics sectors, including LCD TVs, PCs, photography solutions and, of course, gaming.Sony partially attributes CPS' decline in sales to "lower sales of PlayStation®3 hardware due to a strategic price reduction and lower sales of PlayStation®2 due to platform migration," among other reasons like deteriorating conditions in North American and European TV markets.
EA 2012 financials: Q4 revenue and income up year-over-year, 2012 revenue up, income down
Publishing giant Electronic Arts has issued its financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2012 and fiscal 2012 as a whole and, wouldn't you know it, a year with a new Mass Effect game results in revenue totals that are much higher than years without Mass Effect games.Looking at just the fourth quarter of 2012, EA's total net revenue stacked up at $1.36 billion, a 24 percent increase over the $1.09 billion reported at the end of this same period last year. Net revenue generated from digital sales nearly doubled year-over-year, $419 million in Q4 2012 as opposed to $211 million in Q4 2011 – a 98 percent increase.Packaged goods still made up the majority of the publisher's revenue, however, at $949 million, up from $879 in Q4 2011. Net income for the period was also up year-over-year, $400 million for the period ending on March 31, 2012 as compared with $151 million for the same period in 2011. Naturally, EA contributes its successful fourth quarter to the release of Mass Effect 3 and the continued popularity of FIFA 12.Fiscal 2012 as a whole presents a slightly different story. While net revenue was up 15 percent year-over-year ($4.14 billion in fiscal 2012 vs. $3.58 billion in fiscal 2011), net income fell 263 percent, from $276 million in fiscal 2011 to just $76 million in fiscal 2012.Looking forward to fiscal 2013, EA expects an approximate net revenue of $4.07 billion, $950 million of which it expects to earn during the first fiscal quarter of 2013, which ends on June 30, 2012.
Namco Bandai profits up in Q3 2012, as are year-end projections
Namco Bandai's financial statement for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 has been released, and while the report contains a lot of tables and numbers and figures, it actually has very few pictures, which was a problem for our exceedingly limited attention spans. We did our best, though, and after concentrating really hard and taking our Adult ADD medication, we were able to produce actual, honest-to-goodness business information.For instance! For the 9 month period ending on December 31, 2011, Namco Bandai reports a net income (which is the amount of earned money left over after all operating expenses and taxes) of ¥16.3 billion, or about $210 million, which is a 34.3 percent increase over the same period last year.The company predicts an additional ¥2.19 billion ($28.3 million) in net income over the course of Q4, (which runs from January 1 to March 31, 2012), wrapping up fiscal 2012 to the tune of ¥18.5 billion ($238.4 million) in net profit over the course of the fiscal year. Provided these predictions stand the test of time, Namco Bandai's performance in fiscal 2012 will be a 90 percent increase over its performance in fiscal 2011.Whew! Now if you'll excuse us, we have cat videos to watch.
Konami net income up 77 percent year-over-year
We're still a couple of months away from the end of fiscal 2012, but the first 9 months of the confusingly offset financial season have treated Konami extremely well: The company reports a 77.3 percent year-over-year increase in net income over fiscal 2011, earning profits of ¥17.05 billion ($224 million) for the period.Most of that, however, was pushed by Konami's social networking devision, which operates mobile/casual games in Japanese markets and posted revenues of $348 million, up from $127 million over the same period last year. The company's "consumer games" segment fell year-over-year, from $698 million in fiscal 2011 to $465 million in fiscal 2012. Konami has also adjusted its predictions for the end fiscal 2012, anticipating overall revenue at $3.38 billion and net income at $298 million.
THQ lays off 30 Play THQ employees
The business world, like the rest of the world, is a cruel and unforgiving mistress. Following the "weaker than expected" sales figures achieved by THQ's uDraw tablet during the third quarter of the 2012 fiscal year, THQ has let go 30 members of its Play THQ team; the Agoura Hills unit responsible for uDraw. "We are taking a difficult but important step to reduce the number of employees that supported this brand," a THQ representative said in a statement to Game Informer. "30 people will be leaving the company and business unit leader Martin Good will also be leaving to pursue new opportunities outside the company." THQ is still hopeful that the success of Saints Row: The Third and WWE '12 will pull out a fourth quarter turnaround before the end of fiscal 2012.
Konami's social games made the first half of 2012 profitable, consumer sales down
Konami doubled its year-on-year profits in the first half of the 2012 fiscal period, with social games generating $216 million -- just $2 million less than its consumer games produced in the same time. Konami's consumer-game market, which generated $218 million, fell 26 percent, while social and mobile revenue rose 230 percent. Sales of Metal Gear games dropped from 1.47 million in last year's first half, to just 340,000 this period. Overall, unit sales of Konami games dropped from 10.05 million to 7.36 million, or 34 percent. Social-game sales saved Konami's first half, recording 11 million total registered users for these titles, compared to 3 million in December 2010.
Darksiders, Saint's Row sequels from THQ in fiscal 2012
THQ's Brian Farrell has revealed on today's investor conference call that the company is planning to revisit some of its most successful franchises as far away as the fiscal year of 2012 (which would be sometime after March 2011), including this year's bestseller Darksiders, and the popular Saint's Row franchise. Farrell says the company is looking to fiscal 2012 for "accelerated growth with three major core game titles scheduled: Warhammer 40k Space Marine, a sequel to Darksiders and the third generation of our popular Saint's Row franchise." Given that these are more than a year away, we don't have any more information besides the fact that they're planned for release (Who will Darksiders ape next? Will Saint's Row finally solve all of those bugs?). But news of sequels for both games will be welcomed by their respective fans.
