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Publisher Namco-Bandai's fiscal year begins inauspiciously, as the company slips to first-quarter losses of ¥2.8 billion ($29.6 million), while Afro Samurai is the company's best-seller with 420,000 units.

Leigh Alexander, Contributor

August 4, 2009

1 Min Read

Publisher Namco-Bandai's fiscal year is beginning inauspiciously, as it posts losses of ¥2.8 billion ($29.6 million) on revenue of ¥75.7 billion ($800 million) for its first quarter, which ended June 30. This loss compares poorly to a ¥1.5 billion ($15.9 million) profit during the same period last year, and overall revenues were also down 16% in the period for the firm, which also sells toys and operates arcades in Japan. Its best-selling home video game title, Afro Samurai, sold 420,000 units on all platforms in the U.S. and Europe, but even its next-best seller, We Ski and Snowboard, posted just 270,000 units on Wii in the same regions. Currently Japan-only DS title Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans sold 190,000 units; We Ski sold 150,000 in Europe on Wii, and Active Life: Outdoor Challenge sold 110,000 units on Wii in the U.S. The company saw the strongest share of its profit in the Asia regions, which comprised ¥562 million ($5.9 million), followed by Europe with ¥547 million ($5.8 million). Namco Bandai has been beefing up its presence in Europe, most recently wrapping up its purchase of Atari's distribution business in the region. Conversely, Namco Bandai, which deals with toy and game brands including Mobile Suit Gundam, Power Rangers and Dragon Ball, saw the largest share of its losses from the Americas, with a loss of about ¥1.9 billion ($20 million). Overall in the quarter, the firm sold 794,000 units of Wii games worldwide, compared to 783,000 Nintendo DS games, 579,000 PSP games, 533,000 Xbox 360 games, 456,000 PlayStation 3 games, and a still-promising 32,000 units of PlayStation 2 games.

About the Author(s)

Leigh Alexander

Contributor

Leigh Alexander is Editor At Large for Gamasutra and the site's former News Director. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety, Slate, Paste, Kill Screen, GamePro and numerous other publications. She also blogs regularly about gaming and internet culture at her Sexy Videogameland site. [NOTE: Edited 10/02/2014, this feature-linked bio was outdated.]

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