q109
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Microsoft first-quarter income down 18 percent, still beats expectations
Microsoft just turned in its first quarter financial report card, and while the good vibes around Windows 7 launch haven't yet begun to fade, the numbers here aren't exactly cheery: revenue is down 14 percent from last year at $12.92b, operating income is down 25 percent at $4.48b, net income is down 18 percent at $3.57b, and earnings per share are down 17 percent at $0.40. Not wonderful, but it's better than analysts were expecting, and the stock is actually way up on the news. Adding in the deferred revenue from early sales of Windows 7 makes things look a little better still, with only a four percent decline in revenue and an eight percent increase in earnings per share, and the Entertainment and Devices Division -- home of the Xbox 360 and Zune HD -- is also a bright spot, increasing income from $159m to $312m on essentially unchanged revenue. Of course, the big test will actually be next quarter, after Windows 7 has really had a chance to make an impact -- we'll see if all these warm fuzzies translate into cold hard cash.
Square Enix dates full Q1 '09 lineup
We're barely surviving 2008's consumerism climax and already publishers are dangling their 2009 wares in front of us. Alright, Square Enix, we'll play your despicable game, if only to take our minds off the current gaming glut. Square Enix's North American (and heavily subtitled) lineup for Q1 2009 is as follows: Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP / 6 Jan.): Being the remastered portable version of the interstellar -- and considered by some to be just plain stellar -- sequel. Features new voice work, new cutscenes and people crying in space. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS / 17 Feb.): Being the hitherto unlocalized entry in the venerable RPG series. Yes, Dragon Ball Z guy designed these characters too. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Xbox 360 / 3 Mar.): Being tri-Ace's long-awaited continuation of the science-fiction franchise. The subtitle implies that this is a big deal for the Xbox 360 in Japan. Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS / 17 Mar.): Being the third instalment in the respected Valkyrie Profile series. If you're looking for an explanation of the title, we're afraid you're plume out of luck.
Microsoft's Xbox division turns Q1 profit, ships 2.2 million consoles
Good news, everybody (concerned with the financial prosperity of a gigantic corporation)! Microsoft's fiscal Q1 2009 results, which cover the three-month period ending September 30th, 2008, show that its Entertainment and Devices Division -- the same one responsible for the entertaining device known as the Xbox 360 -- managed to turn a profit once again. According to Gamesindustry.biz, quarterly income rose to $178 million, an approximate 6.6% increase over last year's $167 million. In less financially fortuitous news, overall sales were down from $1.929 billion to $1.814 billion (no Halo 3 this year, remember?) compared to Q1 2008, and revenue from the Xbox 360 and PC platforms went down by 22%. Though Microsoft still shifted 2.2 million consoles, the EDD was greatly aided by sales of Mac software, mobile device applications and the Zune. Seriously, people, we can't keep making fun of it if you actually go and buy the darn thing.
Sega Sammy's stock rises on news of $100m net loss for Q109
Japanese publisher (and House of Sonic) Sega Sammy posted a ¥10.5 billion (approx. US $96 million) net loss for the first quarter of Fiscal 2009 – that's double the losses from a year earlier -- and sales of ¥74.6b, a 22% decline. Despite all this, the publisher managed to beat expectations and subsequently shares were up 13% to ¥1,201 per share, the sharpest increase since its listing as a holding company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in October 2004, according to Bloomberg.The pachinko and arcade divisions, as well as the global and Japanese economy, were cited as reasons for the losses. Particularly, the pachinko business saw around US$40 million in losses. The games division increased sales to ¥30.5 billion, reducing the operating loss to ¥4.12b. Overall unit sales were around 6.89 million (3.16m in US, 2.89m in Europe and 830k in Japan), with Mario and Sonic at the Olympics noted as having so far shipped 7 million units worldwide.
THQ: Q109 buoyed by Wall-E, but still sees $27.2m in losses
License-rich publisher THQ reported $27.2 million in net losses for its first Fiscal 2009 quarter, ended June 30. That figure is nearly triple the net losses of Q1 2008, even though sales were $137.6 million this quarter, up from last year's $104.5 million. The little beacon of light for THQ's first quarter was Wall-E, which boasted over a million unit sales. Other notable titles include Big Beach Sports, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and MX vs. ATV Untamed.THQ CEO Brian Farrell pointed to September's de Blob and this holiday's Saint's Row 2 and WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, along with a new Red Faction, Darksiders and WWE Legends of Wrestlemania, as sales boosters for the rest of the fiscal year.
Capcom: Q109 sales up 15% (thanks Monster Hunter Freedom 2G)
Singling out Japanese PSP system seller Monster Hunter Freedom 2G, Capcom trumpeted its "best Q1 net sales and operating income since quarterly release announcements began." Net sales were ¥16,352 million, up 14.5% from the same period a year ago, thanks mostly to strong performance in its Home Video Games business, citing "exceptional sales of approximately 2.4 million units" of the aforementioned Monster Hunter title. The Home Video Games business saw quarterly sales of ¥10,406 million, a 31.5% jump from the same period last year. So, what's keeping the rest of Capcom down? Arcade operations were particularly weak; Capcom said, "The number of customer visits and average customer spending grew at a sluggish pace reflecting market stagnation and declining customer confidence, forcing us to struggle." Ouch! That unit had an operating loss of ¥73 million, versus an operating income of ¥261 million in the same period last year. Arcade Games saw an increased operating loss "due to an increase in development costs" while "character-related licensing royalties" were up 25.7%.So, what's the lesson? More developers should target the PSP because, really, people just want some games for it. And second, arcade games aren't even doing well for Capcom ... in Japan.
Nintendo Q109 results drown company in billions
"It prints money" just isn't going to cut it anymore in conveying Nintendo's cash flow. The House of Mario announced today that in its first quarter the company brought in $993 million (+34%) in profit! Net sales were up 24% to $3.91 billion. The company sold 5.17 million Wii consoles globally (+50%) and 6.94 million DS units, which means the total lifetime sales of the units are 29.62 million and 77.54 million units for the Wii and DS, respectively.In the software department, Mario Kart Wii drove away with 6.42 million units sold and Wii Fit continued its quest to save the Fat Princesses with 3.42 million units in people's homes -- more than likely collecting dust, along with the Bowflex and Thighmaster. Nintendo maintains its forecast of reaching a net profit of $3.04 billion and operating profit of $4.97 billion by the end of its fiscal year in March '09.
EA's fiscal Q109 conference call at-a-glance
Today was the day for industry behemoth Electronic Arts to divulge the results of its (very large) bean counting to investors and the press. In a conference call this afternoon, EA CEO John Riccitiello got down to business, discussing a marked increase in sales over the same period last year, but also fessing up to a stinging $95 million loss. The especially strong performance of Battlefield: Bad Company was singled out as a key contributor to the sales spike, with UEFA Euro 2008 and Rock Band also leading EA's lineup in terms of units moved at retail. A major push into digital distribution, particularly in Asia, was something EA brass also seemed quite pleased with.Riccitiello made a point of singling out Nintendo platforms as a focus for the company going forward. He talked about Boom Blox being a success both critically and commercially, and revealed that EA has 40 titles in development between Wii and DS. He stated that the company's approach with the titles is a combination of "quality over quantity" and ensuring that they are designed to take full advantage of each platform's unique feature set. The EA boss used the upcoming Wii title Skate It as an example.
