Monster Hunter Boosts Capcom 17 Percent, Arcades 'Struggle'
Led by 2.5 million-seller Monster Hunter Freedom 2nd G, Capcom saw a 16.8 percent revenue boost for its second quarter -- but while its home games saw growth across the board, the publisher said its arcade business, which fell 66 percent, continues
by David Jenkins, Leigh Alexander
November 05, 2008
Although it's invested considerable effort in reaching a Westernized audience, Capcom's top-selling title in its second quarter was still fan-favorite PSP title
Monster Hunter Freedom 2nd G -- the title has sold more than 2.5 million copies in Japan since launch, helping drive the publisher to a 16.8 percent revenue increase for the three months ending September 30th.
In addition to its ¥1.87 billion ($18.9m) revenues, the company's sales saw a marginal .4 percent boost year-over-year to ¥31.24 billion ($326.0m). Operating income was up 9.8 percent to ¥3.36 billion ($34.0m).
While Capcom's home video game business saw sales rise to ¥16.32 billion, its languishing arcade segment continued to decline -- it saw a 66.1 percent fall in operating income. Capcom described its arcade operations as continuing to "struggle in the severe business environment."
As a result, the company's forecasts for the full fiscal year remain unchanged, with expectations of net sales of ¥95.30 billion ($963.6m) and net income of ¥8.60 billion ($87.0m).