Sega Reports Q1 Loss As The Conduit Sells 150,000

Tokyo-based Sonic the Hedgehog house Sega Sammy reported a year-on-year decline in sales and a net loss for its first fiscal quarter ended in June. The publisher also revealed official sales figures for High Voltage Games' Wii-exclusive shooter The Conduit to retailers. Sega reported net sales of ¥60.46 billion ($638.44 million), a 19 percent decrease from the same quarter a year ago. Net loss was ¥10.29 billion ($108.66 million) compared to net loss of ¥10.53 billion yen ($111.19 million) a year prior. The company said it sold 150,000 copies of The Conduit during the quarter in the US and Europe. As the game didn't release in European territories until July -- after the April-June earnings period -- this figure presumably refers to the amount of copies sold to retail, not sell-through to the consumer. We've contacted Sega to confirm the company's recording policy. The Conduit released at the end of the period on June 23 in the US, and on July 10 in the UK and July 16 in Australia. Edge Online reported earlier this month that the NPD Group recorded 72,000 in sales for The Conduit in the US during June, when the game was on shelves for about a week. Sega also said that it sold 790,000 copies of Virtua Tennis 2009 across PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC in the US and Europe. Out of all platforms during the quarter, Sega sold the most software units on Nintendo Wii, with 550,000 units sold on the console. The company sold 310,000 units on the PS3, and 200,000 on Xbox 360 during the quarter. In fiscal Q1, Sega said it sold 2.65 million software units total worldwide, down 61.5 percent, with Europe being its biggest market for the period. Sega's goal is to sell 29.7 million software units this fiscal year. Net sales in Sega's home video game business specifically were down 41 percent year-on-year to ¥18 billion ($190.07 million), while operating loss in the division was ¥5 billion ($52.8 million). "In the home video game software industry, growth in demand for software has leveled off in Japan and North America, due to the popularization of game platforms. Nevertheless, demand remains relatively firm in Europe," Sega said. Sega Sammy's major businesses also include the sale of pachislot machines, a segment that brought in ¥19.68 billion yen ($207.87 million), more than the home video game business. Like many companies recently reporting deflated earnings and sales, Sega noted a weak global economic environment that is negatively impacting its business.