Capcom 'Aggressively' Seeking Partnerships, But Not In Japan

In a note to investors, Capcom officials this week said that the company is seeking to increase its online game sales outside of Japan through acquisitions and partnerships. "Acquisitions and partnerships are one of the important strategies for increasing our market share overseas," reads the unsigned note, reaffirming previous statements to its investors. "We aggressively seek the opportunities of acquisitions and partnerships for the purposes of creating game content with universal market appeal and acquiring technologies and know-how required for our 'Single Content Multiple Usage' strategy," it continues. According to the note, the company is not considering a merger with a large Japanese toy or game manufacturer, as this would not significantly contribute to sales outside of the region and, further, might limit its licensing potential. "We believe choosing an appropriate partner company that complements our strengths will lead to subsequent successful acquisition and contribute to the growth of our business," says the note. "The first objective, therefore, is to form partnerships that meet our needs as well as those of our partners." Capcom's first major push into a western-aimed partnership focus was 2010's acquisition of Blue Castle Games (now Capcom Game Studio Vancouver), the studio behind Dead Rising 2. The company's projected best-selling game for 2011, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is also being developed by a western studio: Vancouver-based Slant Six Games. The company has recently stressed its plan to focus on western markets. According to the company, its market share in both North America and Europe was only 1.6 percent (ranked 13th and 14th, respectively) last year, compared to the third-ranked 11 percent it commands in Japan. While packaged goods continue to be Capcom's biggest money driver for the immediate future, the company is expecting its online business to grow substantially over the coming years while its packaged business ultimately declines.