Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Ubisoft expects next-gen consoles to integrate 'item based model']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/ubisoft-expects-next-gen-consoles-to-integrate-item-based-model/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/ubisoft-expects-next-gen-consoles-to-integrate-item-based-model/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/ubisoft-expects-next-gen-consoles-to-integrate-item-based-model/#comments Ubisoft likely knows more about the next generation of consoles than we all do, thanks to working on games for them and stuff, and it sees them going in a social gaming-oriented direction. The company's earnings release features an outlook for the next year, in which Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot expects to see an increase of 25-61% in operating income.

Beyond that, Guillemot expects growth due to two trends: first, "the forthcoming arrival of the next generation of consoles which will be increasingly connected and will strongly boost the market thanks to a new qualitative leap and the integration of social games benefits and the item based model," and free-to-play games.

The "item based model" sounds like a trend bleeding over from free-to-play games, in which games are sold for free (or cheap) and microtransactions bring in revenue through the sale of in-game items. We have seen this outside of the free-to-play world in this generation, in the form of costume sales and the occasional weapon unlock; however, if Guillemot expects it to be a significant source of income on consoles, it's likely to be even more emphasized in the next generation.

JoystiqUbisoft expects next-gen consoles to integrate 'item based model' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfree-to-playMicrotransactionsnext-generationubisoftyves-guillemotTue, 15 May 2012 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Sega earnings down in fiscal 2011, Mario & Sonic sell 3 million]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/sega-earnings-down-in-fiscal-2011-mario-and-sonic-sell-3-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/sega-earnings-down-in-fiscal-2011-mario-and-sonic-sell-3-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/sega-earnings-down-in-fiscal-2011-mario-and-sonic-sell-3-million/#comments Sega's earnings are down in the year ended March 31, 2012, which shouldn't come as a surprise given the company's recent extreme restructuring measures. Sega reported net sales of 395.5 billion yen ($5 billion), down 0.3 percent from 2011; net income dropped 47.4 percent to 21 billion yen.

In the "consumer business" division (the one that deals with home video games), Sega reported a year-over-year drop in unit sales. Its best-performing game was Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, of course, at 3.28 million copies. Sonic Generations followed at 1.85 million; Virtua Tennis 4 sold 1.04 million across five platforms. Sega listed sales for Football Manager 2012 (710,000) and Yakuza: Dead Souls (550,000), but nothing else -- so we don't know how well Binary Domain did, except to guess that it probably didn't do very well.

JoystiqSega earnings down in fiscal 2011, Mario & Sonic sell 3 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 May 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsearningsfy-2011microsoftnintendopcplaystationplaystation-vitaps3pspsegasonyvitawiixboxFri, 11 May 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Capcom earnings down in fiscal 2012; Monster Hunter Tri-G, Raccoon City, Street Fighter X Tekken sell a million each]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/capcom-earnings-down-in-fiscal-2012-monster-hunter-tri-g-racco/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/capcom-earnings-down-in-fiscal-2012-monster-hunter-tri-g-racco/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/capcom-earnings-down-in-fiscal-2012-monster-hunter-tri-g-racco/#comments ImageCapcom's net sales are down 16 percent year over year, for the fiscal year ending March 31. The company brought in 82.1 billion yen (just over $1 billion), with its Consumer Online Games division responsible for 53.5 billion yen of that (23.9 percent lower than that division's performance last year).

The performance dip can be attributed to the movement of Dragon's Dogma out of the fiscal year (and into this month), and to outstanding performance of the company's titles last year. Capcom experienced record sales of its big games in fiscal 2011, and fiscal 2012 pales in comparison. Monster Hunter Tri-G, the Japan-exclusive 3DS version, topped the company's sales chart at 1.6 million copies. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City also sold well; Street Fighter X Tekken "lagged" in comparison to expectations, though both it and ORC broke a million.

Capcom didn't share sales data for its other releases, Asura's Wrath, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Resident Evil Revelations, merely acknowledging the games as things that came out.

JoystiqCapcom earnings down in fiscal 2012; Monster Hunter Tri-G, Raccoon City, Street Fighter X Tekken sell a million each originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsasuras-wrathcapcomearningsfinancialmicrosoftnintendoplaystationps3resident-evil-operation-raccoon-citystreet-fighter-x-tekkenxboxMon, 07 May 2012 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Angry Birds earned Rovio quite a bit of chicken scratch in 2011]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/the-angry-birds-earned-rovio-quite-a-bit-of-chicken-scratch-in-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/the-angry-birds-earned-rovio-quite-a-bit-of-chicken-scratch-in-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/the-angry-birds-earned-rovio-quite-a-bit-of-chicken-scratch-in-2/#comments ImageThe Angry Birds are quite a catch, it seems. Franchise creator Rovio announced this morning that earnings in 2011 topped $100 million, which it owes solely to sales of the Angry Birds franchise. "The heavy investments made in 2011 to all business areas will be seen in future products," Rovio CEO Mikael Hed noted in the press release. "To ensure continuous success we need to be creative and stay focused on entertaining our millions of fans by continuously developing new and innovative products and services." The company earned approximately $67.6 million in pre-tax profit in 2011, or about 64 percent of total revenue.

Hed doesn't necessarily mean branching out from his company's most popular franchise, of course. Especially not after such a big year for merchandising surrounding the Angry Birds - Rovio's "consumer products" unit took in "about 30 percent" of 2011's total earnings (approximately $31.9 million). That's a lot of Angry Birds gummy snacks!

Rovio's $106.3 million in revenue (not profit, mind you, but revenue) is owed primarily to growth in the Finnish company's Angry Birds games catalog, which expanded by just one game in 2011: a movie tie-in named "Angry Birds Rio." The games have been downloaded approximately 648 million times across all platforms as of Dec. 31, 2011, and have a monthly user base of approximately 200 million.

[Image credit: Flickr user 'Nearsoft']

Continue reading The Angry Birds earned Rovio quite a bit of chicken scratch in 2011

JoystiqThe Angry Birds earned Rovio quite a bit of chicken scratch in 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 May 2012 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidangry-birdsangry-birds-rioearningsfinancialsfinlandiosipadiphonemacmikael-hedmobilepcrovioMon, 07 May 2012 10:05:00 EST<![CDATA[THQ earnings forecast improves due to Saints Row 3 sales, DLC]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/thq-earnings-forecast-improves-due-to-saints-row-3-sales-dlc/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/thq-earnings-forecast-improves-due-to-saints-row-3-sales-dlc/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/thq-earnings-forecast-improves-due-to-saints-row-3-sales-dlc/#comments ImageAre you ready for this? It's ... good news about THQ's finances. The company is revising its earnings forecast for the quarter ending March 31, now reporting expectations of "non-GAAP net sales of $160 million to $170 million, which is above the company's previous outlook of non-GAAP net sales in the range of $130 million to $150 million." Non-GAAP earnings include "adjustments" or other non-recurring costs that aren't included in the standardized GAAP numbers companies are required to report.

Unfortunately, there's still some less-than-stellar news: The report will also have to account for "approximately $30 million to $50 million" in non-cash software development charges, "resulting from decisions made related to the company's previously-announced product strategy." A THQ representative tells Joystiq that these kinds of "charges" actually reflect a shift in expected performance of certain software - including the no-longer MMO Warhammer 40K Dark Millennium.

As for why the company is doing less poorly than expected, THQ cites three factors: Saints Row the Third, of which THQ has now shipped over four million units; "higher-than-expected digital sales" ... mostly of Saints Row DLC; and "slightly" better sales of UFC Undisputed 3 than predicted.

JoystiqTHQ earnings forecast improves due to Saints Row 3 sales, DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfy-2012q4saints-row-the-thirdthqWed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sega's home game division posts losses, Mario & Sonic a bright spot]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/segas-home-game-division-posts-losses-mario-and-sonic-a-bright-s/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/segas-home-game-division-posts-losses-mario-and-sonic-a-bright-s/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/segas-home-game-division-posts-losses-mario-and-sonic-a-bright-s/#comments Sega's "Game Contents" division (i.e. home video games) was down 5.1% for the nine-month period ending December 31, with the company reporting 63.5 billion yen ($833 million) in net game sales from the division ... and 5.5 billion yen in total losses. As for reasoning, Sega said only that "in the overseas markets, sales of the new titles remained slow as affected by adverse market condition." Best we can tell, that "adverse market condition" refers to our economies all being really, really terrible.

The publisher shared sales numbers for its major releases. Sonic Generations sold 1.63 million copies across four platforms (Wii, PS3, PC, and the 3DS Generations game). Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games outsold it with 2.39 million copies -- despite not being released in Japan yet, and only being on one platform at the time, the Wii. And, uh, despite being a Mario & Sonic Olympics minigame collection. Hatsune Miku Project Diva Extend for PSP (released in Japan only) was the other named hit, with 290,000 copies.

Looking up at Sega's sales by platform, it's worth noting that Sega's single PlayStation Vita release, Virtua Tennis 4 (called Power Smash 4 in Japan) sold just 10,000 copies between the Vita launch date of December 17 and the end of the year. That ... doesn't seem very good.

JoystiqSega's home game division posts losses, Mario & Sonic a bright spot originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfy-2011fy-2012mario-and-sonic-at-the-london-2012-olympic-gamesmicrosoftnintendoplaystationplaystation-vitaps3pspsegasega-sammysonic-generationssonyvitawiixboxFri, 03 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Capcom net sales down 29%, Monster Hunter sales strong (again)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/capcom-net-sales-down-29-monster-hunter-sales-strong-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/capcom-net-sales-down-29-monster-hunter-sales-strong-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/capcom-net-sales-down-29-monster-hunter-sales-strong-again/#comments For the nine months ending December 31, Capcom net sales down 29% year over year, to 50.27 billion yen ($660.6 million). Similarly, operating income for the period is down 47.2%, despite such collaborative cross-marketing efforts as "the launch of beverages based on popular characters, in order to leverage highly popular software to achieve increased visibility, expanded fan base and other synergistic effects."

It's not so much that Capcom did poorly this year -- last year featured the breakout successes of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and Super Street Fighter IV, among others. The blockbusters this year aren't as numerous and not quite as blockbustery. According to Capcom, Monster Hunter Tri-G sold 1.2 million copies since its December release in Japan. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record moved 800,000 and 500,000 respectively. That's still a pretty good return on a set of games entirely based on existing games.

JoystiqCapcom net sales down 29%, Monster Hunter sales strong (again) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dscapcomearningsfy-2011microsoftmonster-hunter-tri-gnintendopcplaystationps3xboxThu, 02 Feb 2012 10:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Cave to put projects on hold, refocus on social gaming]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/cave-to-put-projects-on-hold-refocus-on-social-gaming/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/cave-to-put-projects-on-hold-refocus-on-social-gaming/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/cave-to-put-projects-on-hold-refocus-on-social-gaming/#comments It's easy to forget sometimes that video games are a business, as well as a means of artistic expression and recreation. Even developers like Cave, whose sterling reputation is due almost entirely to its long-time devotion to the incredibly esoteric bullet-hell genre, have to make tough decisions in order to continue existing.

The Deathsmiles developer's fiscal outlook isn't shaping up to be quite what it had expected, and as a result the company will be placing unknown projects on hold in order to devote more resources to social gaming, Andriasang reports.

Originally expecting to earn ¥1.4 billion ($18.9 million) in sales between June 1 and November 30 2011, the company now anticipates earnings of ¥1.3 billion ($16.8 million), which has prompted Cave to change its forecasted operating gain of ¥10 million to an operating loss of ¥31 million for the period. Operational earnings for the entire year were lowered from ¥310 million to ¥50 million.

In a nutshell, people aren't buying as many infuriatingly difficult games as expected, which is surprising considering how popular masochism has become recently.

JoystiqCave to put projects on hold, refocus on social gaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casualcavedeathsmilesearningsmicrosoftpcsocialxboxSat, 14 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Capcom sales down year-over-year, due to lack of 'major titles']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/capcom-sales-down-year-over-year-due-to-lack-of-major-titles/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/capcom-sales-down-year-over-year-due-to-lack-of-major-titles/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/capcom-sales-down-year-over-year-due-to-lack-of-major-titles/#comments Capcom released its earnings for the first half of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012 (which puts the halfway point at September 30). Net sales are down year-over-year, from 40.7 billion yen ($522 million) in 2010 to 29.3 billion yen ($375.1 million) in 2011. Net income is down 878 million yen ($11.3 million). Capcom attributes the downward trend to the fact that "no major titles were launched in Consumer Online Games business."

As for the titles that did come out in that period, Capcom sold 450,000 units of the Japan-only Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD Ver., the PS3 port of the PSP hit. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition brought Oni into 400,000 homes worldwide, and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D also sold 400,000 worldwide. "These figures are shipment volumes," president Haruhiro Tsujimoto noted in his summary of the results, "so digital downloads are on top of those figures."

The second half of Capcom's year will be anchored by the December 10 launch of Monster Hunter Tri-G in Japan (of which Capcom expects to sell 1.2 million copies), and Dragon's Dogma (1.5 million), Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2 million), and Street Fighter X Tekken (2 million) worldwide. Oh, and Snoopy's Street Fair for iPhone. In a Q&A, the publisher said it "will consider launching [Monster Hunter Tri-G] overseas," but hasn't come to a decision yet.

Capcom also announced that it's merging its North American subsidiaries, Capcom USA and Capcom Entertainment, Inc. In other news, Capcom had two North American subsidiaries.

JoystiqCapcom sales down year-over-year, due to lack of 'major titles' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dscapcomcapcom-usaearningsfy-2012iosiphonemicrosoftmobilemonster-hunter-portable-3rd-hdnintendopcplaystationps3xboxTue, 08 Nov 2011 12:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Experts on Nintendo's immediate future, post-losses]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/experts-on-nintendos-immediate-future-post-losses/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/experts-on-nintendos-immediate-future-post-losses/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/experts-on-nintendos-immediate-future-post-losses/#comments Last week's news was tragic for Nintendo: Profits for its fiscal first half were deeply in the red to the tune of $926 million.

A near $1-billion six-month loss is potentially catastrophic for most companies, but for a game company like Nintendo the profits typically come at the end of the fiscal year, the period ending in March, which includes the heavy holiday buying season. First and second quarter losses are not unheard of; they're even expected. What isn't expected, at least for Nintendo, is a potential loss for the entire fiscal year, which is what Nintendo is facing this year, projecting revenues $264 million in the red for the first time since the company began reporting profits in 1981.

To get some perspective on what this means for Nintendo and, perhaps, the game industry, I spoke with two men who have been following recent events intently, and Nintendo as a whole for most of its existence: Kyle Orland, News Editor at Gamasutra, founder of Super Mario Bros. HQ and self-confessed "Nintendo fanboy," and Bill Harris, industry analyst and blogger at Dubious Quality.

Continue reading Experts on Nintendo's immediate future, post-losses

JoystiqExperts on Nintendo's immediate future, post-losses originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsanalysisdsearningsnintendowiiFri, 04 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Deus Ex boosts Square Enix's half-year forecast [update: official results posted]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/deus-ex-boosts-square-enixs-half-year-forecast/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/deus-ex-boosts-square-enixs-half-year-forecast/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/deus-ex-boosts-square-enixs-half-year-forecast/#comments Square Enix issued a change to its most recent six-month forecast of earnings, now that it's had the benefit of actually experiencing those six months (April-September 2011). That has a tendency to make predictions a bit more accurate.

The revision is a slight increase in net sales, from ¥56 billion ($718 million) to ¥57 billion ($730 million), and a whopping 146.7% increase in net income. These increases come thanks to the success of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and "increased billing revenue" from web, social, and mobile games.

Thanks to the unusually strong yen, Square Enix had the misfortune of marking an additional "foreign exchange loss" of ¥2.1 billion ($27 million). That's a lot of money to just have disappear.

Update: Square has posted its official results and the predictions, unsurprisingly, were right on the money. Net sales reached ¥57.5 billion and net income of ¥3.7 billion ($47.4 million).

JoystiqDeus Ex boosts Square Enix's half-year forecast [update: official results posted] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>deus-ex-human-revolutionearningsfinancialfy-2012microsoftpcplaystationps3square-enixxboxWed, 02 Nov 2011 10:39:00 EST<![CDATA[Sega game sales down in first half of fiscal 2012; Rise of Nightmares fails to hit the heights]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/31/sega-game-sales-down-in-first-half-of-fiscal-2012-rise-of-night/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/31/sega-game-sales-down-in-first-half-of-fiscal-2012-rise-of-night/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/31/sega-game-sales-down-in-first-half-of-fiscal-2012-rise-of-night/#comments The net sales for Sega Sammy's consumer division were down 13.7% year over year in the six months ended September 30. Sega brought in 33.4 million yen ($428,655) from its home game business, part of the 152.6 million yen in overall net sales.

The 29.9% slump in company-wide net sales is mostly attributed to a slowdown in demand for new pachinko machines and "the settlement payment for patent licensing". Within the consumer business, Sega cited "weak" sales of its titles, especially in the west, which, Sega claims, continues to experience "headwinds such as sluggish personal consumption."

Sega named three "major titles" released in the period, and detailed their sales. Captain America: Super Soldier, released only in the west, sold 450,000 units across four platforms. Rise of Nightmares sold 200,000 worldwide. The other major release, the Japan-only PSP soccer management sim Sakatsuku 7 Euro Plus, also sold 200,000.

JoystiqSega game sales down in first half of fiscal 2012; Rise of Nightmares fails to hit the heights originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>captain-america-super-soldierdsearningsfy-2012microsoftnintendoplaystationps3rise-of-nightmaressegasega-sammywiixboxMon, 31 Oct 2011 10:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Editorial -- Nintendo's creeping doom: how the company came to misplace $926 million]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/27/editorial-nintendos-creeping-doom-how-the-company-came-to-m/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/27/editorial-nintendos-creeping-doom-how-the-company-came-to-m/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/27/editorial-nintendos-creeping-doom-how-the-company-came-to-m/#comments More terrible news from Japan: Nintendo has posted a $926 million loss for the first half of the fiscal year ending in March 2012. Take a second look at that number. That's 926 million dollars. As in "very close to a billion."

The sheer volume of that amount of cash is staggering. In ones, it would fill a room roughly the size of the one Scrooge McDuck uses to hold his gold. Now imagine simply handing that money over to ... someone. Iwata, perhaps. The point is, you had it and now it's gone. Sucks, right? OK, now you know how Nintendo feels. It gets worse.

Continue reading Editorial -- Nintendo's creeping doom: how the company came to misplace $926 million

JoystiqEditorial -- Nintendo's creeping doom: how the company came to misplace $926 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsdsearningseditorialnintendowiiThu, 27 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Activision digital revenue up to $1.7 billion]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/activision-digital-revenue-up-to-1-7-billion/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/activision-digital-revenue-up-to-1-7-billion/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/activision-digital-revenue-up-to-1-7-billion/#comments Just 15 years ago, if you could make a few bucks selling homemade charm bracelets through Prodigy, you were in the vanguard of digital revenue. These days, while the model's still the same, the scale is just a bit different. Take Activision for instance: The company announced during its Analyst Day presentation that it made $1.7 billion in digital revenue over the last 12 months. We're not sure what that works out to in charm bracelets, but it's a lot.

Though World of Warcraft has always done huge digital business, the company has gotten a big boost this year from Call of Duty: Black Ops and its hugely popular DLC. As you can see in the chart above, this year's earnings are a big jump from 2010 and 2009, which respectively brought in $1.4 and $1.2 billion digital dollars.

Note: When Diablo 3 launches, Blizzard will be taking undetermined fees off the top of player-to-player items sales. So look out for the 2012 Analyst Day when Activision will have to use at least some of the digi-revenue to buy a taller chart.

JoystiqActivision digital revenue up to $1.7 billion originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionActivision-Blizzardanalyst-dayblizzardCall-of-Duty-Black-Opsdigital-distributiondigital-revenueearningsThu, 01 Sep 2011 13:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Gamestop Q2 financials anchored by strong used game and digital sales]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/gamestop-q2-financials-anchored-by-strong-used-game-and-digital/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/gamestop-q2-financials-anchored-by-strong-used-game-and-digital/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/gamestop-q2-financials-anchored-by-strong-used-game-and-digital/#comments GameStop's total sales were down 3.1% in the quarter ending July 30, 2011 -- $1.74 billion in sales this quarter compared to $1.8 billion in the same period last year. A boon for the company has been (get this!) used game and digital sales, which both rose 12% and 69% year-over-year, respectively. Digital sales are up 16% compared to Q1 of 2011 and with the recent announcement of downloadable PC games being sold at retail, we wouldn't be surprised to see even greater digital revenue in Q3.

GameStop also cited lower hardware sales and fewer games this quarter compared to last year, both of which the company said contributed to an overall lower quarter for store sales, down 9.1%. The retailer also reported diminished net sales of $30.9 million compared to $40.3 million in 2010.

LA Noire, NCAA Football 12, Infamous 2, Brink and Mortal Kombat were GameStop's top earners in the quarter, spanning the classic genres of shooters, sports games, fighters and whatever you'd call LA Noire. Crime drama genre? The "character actor did it" genre?

JoystiqGamestop Q2 financials anchored by strong used game and digital sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsearningsfinancialsgamestopLA-Noiremacmicrosoftmobilenintendopcplaystationps3pspq2salessonywiixboxThu, 18 Aug 2011 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Disney's Interactive Media division reduces losses in Q3]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/disneys-interactive-media-division-reduces-losses-in-q3/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/disneys-interactive-media-division-reduces-losses-in-q3/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/disneys-interactive-media-division-reduces-losses-in-q3/#comments Disney Interactive Media Group Disney's studio shutdowns may have had at least some of the desired effect: The Disney Interactive Media Group reports that the third quarter has brought decreased losses for the division year-over-year. The group remains the only division in the company operating at a loss, but revenues increased (thanks to Lego Pirates of the Carribbean and Cars 2, according to the studio) and losses decreased to $86 million a year.

Disney still blames most of the losses on the acquisition of social developer Playdom last year, but good news is good news. Hopefully this means an end to all of the layoffs around the division.

JoystiqDisney's Interactive Media division reduces losses in Q3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>disneydisney-interactive-media-groupdisney-interactive-studiosdivisionearningsinteractivelossesplaydomWed, 10 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Take-Two profits down in first quarter of Red Dead-free fiscal year]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/08/take-two-profits-down-in-first-quarter-of-red-dead-free-fiscal-y/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/08/take-two-profits-down-in-first-quarter-of-red-dead-free-fiscal-y/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/08/take-two-profits-down-in-first-quarter-of-red-dead-free-fiscal-y/#comments Take-Two's net revenue for its first quarter of fiscal 2012 (which ended June 30) represents a downturn year-over-year -- $334.4 million versus fiscal 2010's $375.4 million (Take-Two shifted its fiscal calendar since then, in case you're wondering why we're comparing Q1 2012 with Q3 2010), with a net loss of $8.7 million instead of profits of $26.3 million. Last year around this time, of course, everyone on Earth was buying Red Dead Redemption, pushing Take-Two's profits into the stratosphere.

With the game sold to all of Earth's residents to date, that leaves only babies born in the interim as the audience for new copies of the game; that market of babies has done well enough for the company to count RDR and its Undead Nightmare expansion as one of the leading products in this quarter, with 2 million retail copies of Undead Nightmare shipped life-to-date and 9 million Red Dead Redemptions. Other leaders include Duke Nukem Forever, LA Noire, NBA 2K11 and Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do.

JoystiqTake-Two profits down in first quarter of Red Dead-free fiscal year originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsearningsfy-2012microsoftnintendopcplaystationps3pspq1Red-Dead-Redemptionsonytake-twoxboxMon, 08 Aug 2011 16:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Square Enix earnings drop, lack of 'major title releases' to blame]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/05/square-enix-earnings-drop-lack-of-major-title-releases-to-bla/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/05/square-enix-earnings-drop-lack-of-major-title-releases-to-bla/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/05/square-enix-earnings-drop-lack-of-major-title-releases-to-bla/#comments Square Enix reported a quarter that's likely to have executives as irritable and glum as the protagonist of your average Final Fantasy game. In the quarter ended June 11, the company reported net sales of ¥24.5 billion ($312 million), down 25% year over year. Net income was down 62%, at ¥690 million ($8.8 million).

"In a quarter without major title releases," said president Yoichi Wada, "our Group's sales and profit were lower compared to the previous fiscal year. At the same time, however, we are making solid progress toward our targets for the full fiscal year ending March 2012." As far as successes, Wada named the browser-based Sengoku Ixa and Nicotto Town (above) -- services exclusive to the Japanese market.

The rest of the fiscal year is also surprisingly Japan-focused, with only one game scheduled to be released from the Eidos side of the company between now and March, namely Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Also due in the west: Final Fantasy XIII-2 (January in North America, "Early 2012" in Europe), and Dragon Quest spinoff games Fortune Street and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2, both published by Nintendo.

JoystiqSquare Enix earnings drop, lack of 'major title releases' to blame originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsearningsfy-2011microsoftnintendoplaystationps3square-enixwiixboxyoichi-wadaFri, 05 Aug 2011 10:17:00 EST<![CDATA[Gameloft sales up 15% in first half of 2011]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/02/gameloft-sales-up-15-in-first-half-of-2011/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/02/gameloft-sales-up-15-in-first-half-of-2011/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/02/gameloft-sales-up-15-in-first-half-of-2011/#comments Gameloft is benefiting greatly from the age of mobile gaming, with sales up significantly in the first half of 2011. The company's controversial working conditions and ethically flexible game development appear to be producing results, with sales up 15 percent to €76.8 million ($108.8M).

The publisher cited sales in emerging countries and the "massive success" of games on smartphones and tablets around the world for its prosperity. Gameloft's first-half sales on smartphones and tablets grew 55 percent year-over-year and represented 30 percent of sales; it plans to launch approximately 20 games for smartphones and tablets in the second half of the fiscal year. Gosh, we really need to crack the whip at Joystiq Publishing(R) China[TM] and get that Angry Cocker Spaniel catapult game out the door.

JoystiqGameloft sales up 15% in first half of 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfinancialfinancialsfirst-halffirst-half-2011fy-2011GameloftmobileQ2Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:40:00 EST<![CDATA[1.8 million PS3, 1.8 million PSP units sold from April-June]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/1-8-million-ps3-1-8-million-psp-units-sold-from-april-june/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/1-8-million-ps3-1-8-million-psp-units-sold-from-april-june/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/1-8-million-ps3-1-8-million-psp-units-sold-from-april-june/#comments Sony announced that it sold 1.8 million PS3s worldwide between April 1 and June 30 (Q1 for Sony), a drop of around 600K from Q1 of FY 2010. Though numbers may have slipped, Sony is still predicting an uptick in sales for the whole of FY 2011: 15 million PS3s as compared to 14.3 in the year prior. On the games side, Sony fared a little better with 26.1 million PS3 games sold versus 24.8 in last year's first three months.

The real success story for Sony's console business is the PSP, which moved 1.8 million systems in the first quarter. That's compared to 700K during the same time period for the Nintendo 3DS and the 1.2 million PSPs sold in Q1 FY 2010.

In closing: Nintendo really needs a Monster Hunter game on 3DS.

Joystiq1.8 million PS3, 1.8 million PSP units sold from April-June originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfinancefinancialfy-2011playstationps3pspq1q1-2011sonyThu, 28 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[THQ disappointed in Red Faction performance, thinks fiscal Q3 could be its best ever]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/27/thq-disappointed-in-red-faction-performance-thinks-fiscal-q3-co/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/27/thq-disappointed-in-red-faction-performance-thinks-fiscal-q3-co/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/27/thq-disappointed-in-red-faction-performance-thinks-fiscal-q3-co/#comments Despite the fact that net sales were up year-over-year in THQ's fiscal Q1 (which ended June 30), from $149.4 million to $195.2 million, CEO Brian Farrell still wasn't satisfied. "We are disappointed in our first quarter financial performance," he said in the earnings release. "Sales of Red Faction: Armageddon and our licensed kids titles were below our expectations, and the late release of UFC Personal Trainer also adversely impacted the quarter." Of course, that disappointment is probably due to the fact that even with increased net sales, the company came out negative, with a net loss of $38.4 million. Most of the "losses" are from "deferred revenue" -- revenue that the company isn't counting now, because it'll go toward ongoing online services for its games.

However, Farrell is looking forward to a profitable Q3 (October through December) -- so profitable, in fact, that he said THQ expects it to be "the biggest third quarter, both in revenue and earnings per share, in our company's history," thanks to Saints Row: The Third, WWE 12, and the PS3/Xbox 360 versions of the uDraw tablet, all scheduled for November releases.

JoystiqTHQ disappointed in Red Faction performance, thinks fiscal Q3 could be its best ever originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-farrellearningsfy-2012microsoftpcplaystationps3q1Red-Faction-ArmageddonsalesthqxboxWed, 27 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[EA sees dip in physical sales for Q1 2012, increase in digital]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/ea-sees-dip-in-physical-sales-for-q1-2012-increase-in-digital/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/ea-sees-dip-in-physical-sales-for-q1-2012-increase-in-digital/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/ea-sees-dip-in-physical-sales-for-q1-2012-increase-in-digital/#comments Thanks to a somewhat limited release line-up which included Portal 2, Alice: Madness Returns, Shadows of the Damned and Darkspore, EA saw sales in its packaged goods division slip during the first quarter of its 2012 fiscal year. The four titles (among other back catalog releases) raked in a net non-GAAP revenue of $195 million, a decrease from the $298 million packaged games pulled in during the same period last year.

However, a steady increase in digital sales softened the blow to the company's bottom line, pulling in a total non-GAAP revenue of $524 million, down from $539 million from last year's first quarter. EA's counting on both digital sales and packaged goods (supported by big-name releases like Battlefield 3 and the back-on-track Madden 12) to continue to grow as the year goes forward, and has increased its net revenue guidance for the entire fiscal year by nearly $100 million.

JoystiqEA sees dip in physical sales for Q1 2012, increase in digital originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaea-sportsearningselectronic-artsfy-2012microsoftpcplaystationportal-2ps3q1salesxboxTue, 26 Jul 2011 17:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Crysis 2 ships 3 million]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/crysis-2-ships-3-million-dead-space-2-at-around-2-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/crysis-2-ships-3-million-dead-space-2-at-around-2-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/crysis-2-ships-3-million-dead-space-2-at-around-2-million/#comments The most memorable sales numbers we've heard about an EA game recently were not good (see: Shadows of the Damned's disappointing debut). EA has some much happier numbers to report (about other games) in its latest quarterly earnings report.

According to the report, Crysis 2 has "sold in" (shipped) "approximately three million units" since its March release, adding another million since last quarter.

You want some more big numbers? How about 15 million FIFA 11 shipments (including various mobile and downloadable versions), and 9 million of Battlefield Bad Company 2? The document is full of large numbers in various denominations; we'll talk about some of the others soon.

JoystiqCrysis 2 ships 3 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Crysis-2dead-space-2eaearningselectronic-artsfy-2012microsoftpcplaystationps3q1salesxboxTue, 26 Jul 2011 16:40:00 EST<![CDATA[1.7m Xbox 360s shipped last quarter, Xbox biz grows 29%]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/1-7m-xbox-360s-shipped-last-quarter-xbox-biz-grows-29/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/1-7m-xbox-360s-shipped-last-quarter-xbox-biz-grows-29/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/1-7m-xbox-360s-shipped-last-quarter-xbox-biz-grows-29/#comments Microsoft released its Q4 earnings for fiscal year 2011 today. Being a video game site, we're going to focus on the company's Entertainment & Devices Division responsible for, amongst other things, the Xbox 360 (a device primarily built for entertainment). In the three-month period ended June 30th, the Big M shipped 1.7 million Xbox 360 units, compared to a measly 1.5 million the previous year. But increased console sales don't account for all of the Xbox 360 platform's 29% revenue growth; Microsoft also has "higher Xbox Live revenue" to thank.

For the year, Xbox 360 platform revenue grew $2.7 billion or 48%, thanks to "increased volumes of Xbox 360 consoles, sales of Kinect sensors, and higher Xbox Live revenue." Microsoft shipped 13.7 million consoles during fiscal '11 versus 10.3 million in fiscal '10. That success has propelled revenue growth at the entire Entertainment & Devices Division 30% for Q4 and 45% for the year (nice going, Windows Phone 7). Revenues for all of Microsoft were up 8% for the period, year-over-year, with the company singling out "the Xbox 360 entertainment platform" as one of the primary catalysts for growth.

With the top-selling home console in North America for 12 of the last 13 months, according to NPD data, and a runaway hit in Kinect, it's easy to see why Xbox 360 is doing so well for Microsoft.

Joystiq1.7m Xbox 360s shipped last quarter, Xbox biz grows 29% originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsFY-2011kinectmicrosoftpcQ4-2011salesxboxThu, 21 Jul 2011 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Sony posts FY 2010 earnings, singles out profits in PlayStation business]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/26/sony-posts-fy-2010-earnings-singles-out-profits-in-playstation/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/26/sony-posts-fy-2010-earnings-singles-out-profits-in-playstation/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/26/sony-posts-fy-2010-earnings-singles-out-profits-in-playstation/#comments
Following Monday's revised forecast - in which Sony warned of a $3.2 billion loss - the recently besieged company has issued its report for the 2010 fiscal year ended March 31. While things at Sony proper might not be entirely rosy, the good news for gamers is that the company's Networked Products and Services division, home of the PlayStation brand, drove operating income "due principally to the contribution of the game business." The roughly $171 million cost of the PSN outage occurred after the end of the fiscal year and therefore isn't reflected in these numbers.

So what specifically is responsible for the massive change in operating income, from a ¥83.3 billion loss last year to ¥35.6 billion in income this year? For the singled-out games business, it was thanks to "significant cost reductions of PlayStation 3 hardware and higher unit sales of PS3 software." You can check out the overall sales numbers in that handy slide above.

While operating income was up, overall sales in the Networked Products and Services division were largely flat, dipping 1.2% year over year. Looking at the hardware sales numbers, the PS3 sold 14.3 million units versus 13 million last year; the PSP sold 8 million versus 9.9 million last year; and the aging PS2 still managed to hit 6.4 million units versus 7.3 million last year. Forecasts for 2011 have the PS3 ticking up slightly while the PSP and PS2 continue to flag. Not mentioned here though: NGP, which should certainly help the PlayStation family move that needle.

JoystiqSony posts FY 2010 earnings, singles out profits in PlayStation business originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 May 2011 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessearningsfinancialfy-2010playstationps3PSNpspq4sonyThu, 26 May 2011 13:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Take-Two takes 49% more in revenue in fiscal 2011]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/24/take-two-takes-49-more-in-revenue-in-fiscal-2011/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/24/take-two-takes-49-more-in-revenue-in-fiscal-2011/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/24/take-two-takes-49-more-in-revenue-in-fiscal-2011/#comments Take-Two let out a hearty (but metaphorical) "Yee-haw" today, reporting a 49 percent rise in net revenue year-over-year for the fiscal year that ended March 31. Thanks to hits like Red Dead Redemption (8.5 million units shipped, the company announced today!) and its Undead Nightmare expansion, and the five-million-selling NBA 2K11, Take-Two brought in $1.14 billion in net revenue. Its net income rose to $48.5 million for the fiscal year, a welcome change from the previous year's $123 million loss. With that kind of money, Take-Two should be able to survive the losses from when Duke Nukem Forever doesn't actually come out. (Kidding, mostly.)

The top earners for the fourth quarter included, in Take-Two's estimation, "NBA 2K11, Top Spin 4, Major League Baseball 2K11, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete and Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (standalone disc)." In addition, digitally distributed content accounted for 15 percent of net revenue in the quarter, driven by Red Dead Redemption, Borderlands, Grand Theft Auto and Civilization DLC.

JoystiqTake-Two takes 49% more in revenue in fiscal 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 May 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsearningsfinancialfy-2011microsoftnba-2k11nintendopcplaystationps3pspq4red-dead-redemptionrockstarrockstar-gamessalessonytake-twowiixboxTue, 24 May 2011 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Escalation marks GameStop's biggest DLC launch in record first quarter]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/20/escalation-marks-gamestops-biggest-dlc-launch-in-record-first-q/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/20/escalation-marks-gamestops-biggest-dlc-launch-in-record-first-q/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/20/escalation-marks-gamestops-biggest-dlc-launch-in-record-first-q/#comments The recent Call of Duty: Black Ops "Escalation" DLC has taken the crown at GameStop as its largest DLC launch ever, according to the company's latest earnings call. The map pack sold 50,000 copies as pre-orders and 200,000 in store during the first week of availability. Digital sales in general are on the rise at the retailer as well, growing 53 percent year-over-year.

The first quarter of 2011 was a good one for GameStop overall, as the company reported record sales of $2.28 billion. HD console games were a big driver, as was the Nintendo 3DS launch, combined with a solid 9.5 percent growth in "pre-owned" (read: used) games and accessories. Pokémon Black and White were the top titles of the quarter, with Mortal Kombat, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Black Ops and Homefront filling out the top five.

JoystiqEscalation marks GameStop's biggest DLC launch in record first quarter originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Call-of-Duty-Black-Opsdigitalearningsgamestopmicrosoftmoneypcplaystationps3q1-2011retailsalesxboxFri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 EST<![CDATA[NCsoft profits decline, limited marketing blamed]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/18/ncsoft-profits-decline-limited-marketing-blamed/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/18/ncsoft-profits-decline-limited-marketing-blamed/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/18/ncsoft-profits-decline-limited-marketing-blamed/#comments MMORPG publisher NCSoft has reported a year-over-year decline in both revenue and profit during the first quarter of 2011. The company's revenues fell 7 percent from the same period a year ago to 155.4 billion Korean Won (about $143 million), despite increased sales from Lineage 2. Profits showed an even sharper decline, dropping 30 percent to 40.8 billion KRW ($37.5 million).

The company chalked up the losses to "soft sales promotions" of its other two key games, the original Lineage and Aion -- or, as we like to call them, "the one with all the castles" and "the one with all the angels." That's ... about all we know about the two games. You know, ahem, because of their limited marketing budgets.

JoystiqNCsoft profits decline, limited marketing blamed originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 May 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionearningsfinancialfy-2011korealineagelineage-2mmommorpgncsoftpcq1Wed, 18 May 2011 00:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Atari seeking to sell Cryptic Studios as another fiscal year ends in losses]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/atari-seeking-to-sell-cryptic-studios-as-another-fiscal-year-end/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/atari-seeking-to-sell-cryptic-studios-as-another-fiscal-year-end/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/atari-seeking-to-sell-cryptic-studios-as-another-fiscal-year-end/#comments In its 2010-11 fiscal year earnings report today, Atari announced it will be dropping, er, "divesting" MMO developer Cryptic Studios. The publisher accounted for the studio under its "discontinued operations" in the report. In other words, it's trying to sell Cryptic.

Overall, Atari reported a net loss of €6.2 million ($8.8 million) for this fiscal year that ended March 31, 2011 -- an admitted improvement over the €19.4 million lost in the previous fiscal year. Cryptic alone was responsible for €5.3 million ($7.5 million) in losses during fiscal 2010-11.

Representatives for Atari and Cryptic declined to offer any statements beyond those in today's financial report. Cryptic's Champions Online went free-to-play earlier this year, and the studio is currently working on a Neverwinter MMO and "Season 4" of Star Trek Online. Atari purchased the developer in 2008 during an optimistic period for the publisher.

JoystiqAtari seeking to sell Cryptic Studios as another fiscal year ends in losses originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 May 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ataricryptic-studiosdivestmentearningsfinancialfy-2010-11pcq4Tue, 17 May 2011 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Sega earnings suffer from Yakuza delay, 'sluggish' Western game sales]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/13/sega-earnings-suffer-from-yakuza-delay-sluggish-western-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/13/sega-earnings-suffer-from-yakuza-delay-sluggish-western-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/13/sega-earnings-suffer-from-yakuza-delay-sluggish-western-game/#comments Sega Sammy's consumer game division -- a.k.a. Sega games -- brought in ¥89.55 billion ($1.1 billion) in sales over the last fiscal year (ending March 31), down 26.5 percent from the previous year. Operating income declined even more sharply to ¥2 billion ($24.8 million), down 68.9 percent. While the previous fiscal year saw major success from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, this latest 2010-11 fiscal year was an off-year for the two Olympians, who were in training for their next competition.

Sonic's less sporting pastime, Sonic Colors, was the bestseller in Sega's lineup, moving 2.18 million copies worldwide. It was followed by ... Iron Man 2, which sold 1.54 million. Vanquish, which everyone without Stark Industries stock would agree is the better robot-suit game, only managed about half of that achievement at 830,000 units sold. Shogun 2: Total War and Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (which only came out in Japan) rounded out Sega's "major" lineup with 600,000 and 370,000 copies sold, respectively.

Sega said that sales were slow in North America and Europe due to "the adverse market condition," noting "sluggish personal consumption" in those regions (which ... didn't seem to be an issue for everybody). Additionally, Sega's big Japanese release, Yakuza: Of the End, was delayed out of the fiscal year as a result of the Tohoku earthquake in March, further reducing the company's bottom line.

Overall, however, Sega Sammy about doubled its net profits from the previous year to ¥41.51 billion (roughly $513 million) on the strength of its pachislot and pachinko business.

JoystiqSega earnings suffer from Yakuza delay, 'sluggish' Western game sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsearningsfinancialfy-2011iron-man-2microsoftnintendopcphantasy-star-portable-2-infinityplaystationps3pspsalessegasega-sammyshogun-2-total-warsonic-colorssonyvanquishwiixboxyakuza-5Fri, 13 May 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ubisoft continues to just dance around fiscal year losses]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/ubisoft-continues-to-just-dance-around-fiscal-year-losses/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/ubisoft-continues-to-just-dance-around-fiscal-year-losses/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/ubisoft-continues-to-just-dance-around-fiscal-year-losses/#comments A year ago, as Ubisoft reported net losses of €43.671 million for its 2009-10 fiscal year (ending, March 31, 2010), CEO Yves Guillemot brushed aside concern, saying, "We forecast a return to profitable growth in 2010-11." Well, here we are -- and Ubisoft isn't exactly basking in the sun.

For the 2010-11 fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, the publisher's net losses slumped further to €52.120 million (about $74 million). Yet Guillemot again played the role of the optimistic fortuneteller as he looked to the company to "post further growth in both sales and current operating income in 2011-12 and 2012-13." (Notice how he didn't drop the P-word this time.)

He put a positive spin on the 2010-11 fiscal year, too, observing "a sharp upturn in revenue." Indeed, sales were up 19 percent over the previous fiscal year to €1.039 billion. In addition to "another success" with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Guillemot attributed much of the sales growth to a rebounding casual market, which Ubisoft dominated with its (just) dance game segment, as well as strong support for the Kinect and 3DS launches. Notably, 38 percent of the publisher's game sales over the 12-month period came from Wii titles.

Ultimately, Ubisoft's bottom line suffered from reorganization costs, which amounted to €95.9 million in non-recurring charges, including unspecified project terminations (so, Am I Alive?). Presumably, if Ubisoft is now appropriately restructured, it can focus more effectively on making successful products again. "For example," Guillemot offered, "we plan to launch a free-to-play world based on our highly popular franchise for young girls, Imagine."

JoystiqUbisoft continues to just dance around fiscal year losses originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 May 2011 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsassassins-creed-brotherhooddancedsearningsfinancialfy-2010-11imaginekinectmicrosoftnintendopcplaystationps3pspq4salessonyubisoftwiixboxThu, 12 May 2011 14:14:00 EST<![CDATA[Konami's games division shows small drop in fiscal 2010, still pleased with game sales]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/konamis-games-division-shows-small-drop-in-fiscal-2010-still-p/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/konamis-games-division-shows-small-drop-in-fiscal-2010-still-p/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/konamis-games-division-shows-small-drop-in-fiscal-2010-still-p/#comments Konami as a whole brought in ¥20.8 billion ($257 million) in operating income, and net revenues of ¥258 billion ($3.19 billion), in the last fiscal year, essentially keeping pace with fiscal year 2010.

But Konami Digital Entertainment, the company's video game division, saw a small year-over-year decline, with operating income dropping from ¥21.5 billion to ¥17 billion. Despite the difference, Konami still spoke positively of its performance in fiscal 2010, citing sales of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and various Pro Evolution Soccer releases as having "progressed favorably," "healthy sales" of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and "steady" increases in sales of mobile games in Japan.

And though it'll never leave Japan, the "girlfriend simulator" series Love Plus contributed as well, with the latest DS release Love Plus Plus having "received a highly positive response among Japanese consumers." We hope that isn't a euphemism.

JoystiqKonami's games division shows small drop in fiscal 2010, still pleased with game sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsearningsfinancialfy-2011konamimicrosoftmobilenintendoplaystationps3pspsonywiixboxThu, 12 May 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Square Enix braces investors for 'extraordinary losses' in last fiscal year]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/square-enix-braces-investors-for-extraordinary-losses-in-last/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/square-enix-braces-investors-for-extraordinary-losses-in-last/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/square-enix-braces-investors-for-extraordinary-losses-in-last/#comments On the eve of its quarterly presentation to investors and analysts, Square Enix today sent out a "revised" (uh-oh) forecast for the financial results of the last fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2011. Stakeholders should bring their ponchos -- they're in for stormy weather.

In February, with nine months in the books, the publisher was confident it could hold onto its threadbare profits, forecasting a meager ¥1 billion ($12 million and change) in net income at the close of the fiscal year. While the unforeseen and devastating Great East Japan Earthquake in March knocked out more than half of that forecast income -- costing Square Enix roughly ¥0.6 billion in amusement facility closures and repairs -- other factors contributed more significantly to the company's now bleak outlook.

So how bad is it? Square Enix currently anticipates a ¥12 billion (nearly $150 million) net loss for the 12-month period, a negative 226 percent change from the previous fiscal year (which brought in ¥9.509 billion in income). Further, accounting for additional subtractions from the balance sheet, the company is bracing investors for "total extraordinary losses of approximately ¥16.0 billion during the fiscal year."

If there's a silver lining, it's in the publisher "introducing a tightened selection standard regarding title lineup" -- which cost Square Enix about ¥4.5 billion in the short term due to project cancellations, including a Highlander game and Gun Loco. But, ideally, this quality control will "strengthen" the company's critical video game segment in the long run, and perhaps restore Square Enix to its former glory.

JoystiqSquare Enix braces investors for 'extraordinary losses' in last fiscal year originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfinancialforecastfy-2011gun-locohighlandersquare-enixThu, 12 May 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Namco Bandai climbs out of the red with pair of million-sellers]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/10/namco-bandai-climbs-out-of-the-red-with-pair-of-million-sellers/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/10/namco-bandai-climbs-out-of-the-red-with-pair-of-million-sellers/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/10/namco-bandai-climbs-out-of-the-red-with-pair-of-million-sellers/#comments For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, Namco Bandai's "Content" division -- which includes both home-console and arcade games, in addition to music and video products -- increased sales just enough to post a modest operating income of ¥3.09 billion ($38.5 million). In turn, the company turned around from the previous fiscal year's net loss to scrounge up ¥3.78 billion ($46.9 million) in profit.

The publisher put out 88 games (including individual iterations of multiplatform titles) across six systems, selling roughly 20.9 million software units in the 12-month period. Its efforts were focused primarily on handheld releases, with 30 games on DS -- plus three more for the 3DS launch -- and 29 for PSP. The company's two bestselling titles during the fiscal year, however, were for home consoles: 2009's still-kicking Tekken 6 accounted for 1.15 million unit sales on PS3 and Xbox 360 in the US alone, and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 sold 1.1M units worldwide on those same consoles, according to the company's financial highlights document [PDF].

While Naruto performed above initial expectations, Enslaved failed to muster numbers in line with even the revised sales forecast reset by Namco Bandai in November. Ninja Theory's action-adventure had to settle for 730,000 units sold across PS3 and 360, falling short of the hoped-for 800K mark. As for Splatterhouse and Majin, the publisher did not report their individual sales, as both titles' performances seemingly fell below 400K units (Namco Bandai's cutoff line for "Main Game Titles," as they appear in the financial highlights report).

For the current fiscal year, which began April 1, Namco Bandai forecasts continued gains resulting in ¥8 billion in profit. The publisher has plans to release 90 games during the period, including 26 titles bound for PS3. Props to anyone that can name three of them! (No googling.)

JoystiqNamco Bandai climbs out of the red with pair of million-sellers originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 May 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsearningsenslavedfinancialfy-2011majin-and-the-forsaken-kingdommicrosoftnamco-bandainaruto-ultimate-ninja-storm-2nintendoplaystationps3pspq4salessonysplatterhousetekken-6wiixboxTue, 10 May 2011 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Activision Blizzard banks $503 million in first quarter profits]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/09/activision-blizzard-banks-503-million-in-first-quarter-profits/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/09/activision-blizzard-banks-503-million-in-first-quarter-profits/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/09/activision-blizzard-banks-503-million-in-first-quarter-profits/#comments Beneath the Southern California headquarters of Activision Blizzard there lies a zeppelin-sized vault, near-bursting with piles of gold and riches -- or at least that's how we imagine it. The company today reported its first quarter 2011 earnings, reaping a record $1.4 billion in sales revenue, an increase of $100 million over the same period last year. Net income came to $503 million, up from $381 million in Q1 2010.

Not surprisingly, the publisher attributed a hefty chunk of those profits to continued sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops -- which it also confirmed is not just the best-selling game ever (in terms of revenue) in the US, but in Europe as well. In addition, the company noted that digital sales were up 30 percent over Q1 2010 and accounted for 30 percent of Activision Blizzard's revenue last quarter.

Finally, although it comes second in the "Activision Blizzard" name, Blizzard was first in profit for the quarter. The unit accounted for a whopping $170 million in income, compared to Activision Publishing's $48 million.

JoystiqActivision Blizzard banks $503 million in first quarter profits originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 May 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ActivisionActivision-BlizzardCall-of-Duty-Black-Opsdigital-distributionearningsfinancialfy-2011q1salesMon, 09 May 2011 17:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Capcom profits soar with help from record AAA game sales]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/capcom-profits-soar-with-help-from-record-aaa-game-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/capcom-profits-soar-with-help-from-record-aaa-game-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/capcom-profits-soar-with-help-from-record-aaa-game-sales/#comments Good ol' video games came through for Capcom over the twelve months ending March 31, 2011. The company reported "a history-making milestone" of five million-seller titles in the period, with Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (4.6 million units shipped) leading the pack. Additionally, Dead Rising 2 (2.2M units), Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2M units), Super Street Fighter IV (1.6M units) and Lost Planet 2 (1.5M units) racked up high shipment numbers, and each surpassed the million-mark in pure sales.

In all, net sales in Capcom's "Consumer Online Games" division increased 60.8 percent over the previous fiscal year to ¥70.3 billion (about $873 million). But the sales success of so-called "major titles" wasn't the only contributing factor in Capcom's record bottom line for a fiscal year, which showed a net income increase of 257.6 percent over the previous year to ¥7.75 billion -- roughly $96.3 million in profit!

Despite reported losses of ¥1.45 billion due to restructuring and another ¥105 million filed under "disaster" -- the Great East Japan Earthquake knocked out ten of Capcom's arcades -- all of the company's business units recorded operating income gains for the year. Notably, the "Mobile Contents" division enjoyed some highlights, with downloads of The Smurfs' Village Facebook game exceeding expectations "by far" and the Japan-only iPhone version of Ghost Trick faring "well."

Capcom tempered its jubilation, however, noting that the forecast for the current fiscal year (ending March 31, 2012) calls for "lower sales and earnings." The company anticipates "immeasurable economic losses" in Japan due to the earthquake and its aftermath, as well as a "downturn in consumer confidence" in the game industry at large -- not to mention Capcom's weaker offering of AAA titles this year. Dead Rising 2 ... again?

"We will focus more than ever before on our global operations as the environment surrounding the industry rapidly changes," Capcom said, observing that "the rise of social games [is] fueling the growth of new competitors in the industry."

JoystiqCapcom profits soar with help from record AAA game sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 May 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capcomdead-rising-2earningsfinancialfy-2010lost-planet-2marvel-vs-capcom-3microsoftmobilemonster-hunter-freedom-3playstationps3pspq4salessonysuper-street-fighter-ivthe-smurfs-villagexboxFri, 06 May 2011 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Increased game sales 'partly offset' Warner Bros' revenue decline]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/05/increased-game-sales-partly-offset-warner-bros-revenue-declin/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/05/increased-game-sales-partly-offset-warner-bros-revenue-declin/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/05/increased-game-sales-partly-offset-warner-bros-revenue-declin/#comments The precise impact of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on big daddy Time Warner's bottom line is pretty obscured. WBIE is a division within a division of the media behemoth, which didn't bother to include a line for "video games" in its first-quarter earnings report. Though the company did manage to share a few positive words about its game-making sub-division.

Nestled somewhere underneath Time Warner's "Filmed Entertainment" umbrella (a.k.a. Warner Bros.), WBIE apparently performed admirably for a division that ultimately suffered declining revenues. Filmed Entertainment, which encompasses feature film, television, home video and "interactive game production and distribution" (that's video games!), saw its revenues slide 3 percent to $2.6 billion in the first three months of 2011, as compared to the prior-year first quarter. More noticeable was the division's 50 percent plunge to $155 million in "adjusted" operating income for the period.

However, Time Warner noted in its report that "declines were partly offset" by "higher video games revenues," in addition to other factors relating to television. While it's impossible to parse out video game sales from what's dubbed "other content" in the earnings breakdown, this category did show the biggest year-over-year percentage growth of all content in the Filmed Entertainment division, even if its dollar-amount revenues were a fraction of theatrical and television products' hauls.

Notably, Time Warner indicated that first-quarter game sales were "driven by Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars," which was developed by Traveller's Tales, part of WBIE subsidiary TT Games. The game is published by LucasArts.

As for Time Warner's outlook on Filmed Entertainment for the rest of the year, CEO Jeff Bewkes said during the earnings call, "With our strong film slate, the momentum in our TV business and several promising games, we continue to expect Warner will post record profits this year." Would it have killed him to namedrop Mortal Kombat and the next Batman? Jeez.

JoystiqIncreased game sales 'partly offset' Warner Bros' revenue decline originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 May 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsdsearningsfilmed-entertainmentfinancialfy-2011jeff-bewkeslego-star-wars-3-the-clone-warsnintendopcplaystationps3pspq1sonytime-warner-cablewarner-broswarner-bros-interactivewbiewiiThu, 05 May 2011 16:20:00 EST<![CDATA[EA grows digital sales in Q4, stems losses for fiscal year]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/04/ea-grows-digital-sales-in-q4-stems-losses-for-fiscal-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/04/ea-grows-digital-sales-in-q4-stems-losses-for-fiscal-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/04/ea-grows-digital-sales-in-q4-stems-losses-for-fiscal-year/#comments EA enjoyed solid growth in the final quarter of its 2011 fiscal year (ending March 31), thanks in large part to a bump in digital revenue. Digital sales were up $67 million from the same period a year ago to $211 million. Good ol' boxed games weren't slouching though, as packaged goods revenue increased $44 million up to $838 million. In all, EA rebounded from its rough Q3 to record $151 million in profit during the fiscal fourth quarter.

The engine for that growth was a surprisingly impressive quarterly lineup for the company. Seven of its titles from fiscal Q4 have surpassed 1 million units shipped, with Crysis 2, Dead Space 2 and Dragon Age 2 all over the 2-million-shipped mark. DLC for those titles (like Dead Space 2's "Severed" add-on) was the cornerstone of digital profits, as well. Over its entire 2011 fiscal year, EA shipped 12 million units of FIFA 11, 7 million copies of Bad Company 2 (released at the tail end of FY10), and five million each of Medal of Honor, Hot Pursuit and Madden 11.

But it seems that, in the grand scheme, these titles weren't enough to alter EA's fortunes for the fiscal year, which ended in a $267 million loss for the company. We suppose there's still a bit of a silver lining, however -- those losses would seem to sting considerably less than the $677 million lost by EA just one year prior.

JoystiqEA grows digital sales in Q4, stems losses for fiscal year originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 May 2011 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battlefield-bad-company-2crysis-2dead-space-2dragon-age-2dseaearningselectronic-artsfifa-11financialfy-2011madden-nfl-11medal-of-honormicrosoftmobileneed-for-speed-hot-pursuitnintendopcplaystationps3pspq4salessonywiixboxWed, 04 May 2011 17:50:00 EST<![CDATA[THQ sales slump for FY2011, looking to successful sequels in 2012]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/thq-sales-slump-for-fy2011-looking-to-successful-sequels-in-201/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/thq-sales-slump-for-fy2011-looking-to-successful-sequels-in-201/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/thq-sales-slump-for-fy2011-looking-to-successful-sequels-in-201/#comments THQ has announced its earnings for fiscal year 2011, which ended March 31, 2011. Stacked up against last year's report, the publisher's net sales on a GAAP basis were down from $899 million to $665 million, a drop of $234 million overall. Its net loss saw a dramatic increase from $9.6 million to $135 million, most likely attributable to a large marketing push for Homefront and ramp-up in the number of titles in development.

Brian Farrell, the company's president and CEO, decided to focus on the coming fiscal year in his statements, stating that "We expect to generate significant growth, profitability and cash in fiscal 2012, driven by the latest installments of multi-million unit selling franchises Saints Row, Red Faction, Warhammer 40,000, MX vs. ATV, UFC, WWE and uDraw."

Net sales for Q4 2011 also slumped, totaling $124 million, down $74 million from $198 million in Q4 2010. The company's biggest release for the quarter, Homefront, shipped 2.6 million copies before March 31 according to Farrell. The title had sold through one million units as of March 24.

JoystiqTHQ sales slump for FY2011, looking to successful sequels in 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 03 May 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfinancial-reportfinancialsfy-2011homefrontq4-2011thqTue, 03 May 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Xbox 360 sees record fiscal Q3 sales, Kinect sold 2.4M units in quarter]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/29/xbox-360-sees-record-fiscal-q3-sales-kinect-sold-2-4m-units-in/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/29/xbox-360-sees-record-fiscal-q3-sales-kinect-sold-2-4m-units-in/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/29/xbox-360-sees-record-fiscal-q3-sales-kinect-sold-2-4m-units-in/#comments Microsoft reports results were up across the board in its fiscal-year third quarter (ending March 31, 2011), with the Redmond giant's Entertainment & Devices Division (EDD) -- that's Xbox and other stuff -- one of the standouts, enjoying 60 percent growth year-over-year. The group generated $1.94 billion in revenue and saw $225 million in profit in Q3, up 50 percent from the same period last fiscal year.

2.7 million Xbox 360 units were sold during the quarter, a new record for the console in Q3 sales (and up 70 percent over last year). Kinect sales followed suit with 2.4 million units sold in the quarter -- and passed the 10-million mark to boot. Microsoft expects revenue growth of at least 25 percent for the EDD during Q4, with "more to be shared at E3 in June."

Overall, thanks to strong sales of Windows 7, Microsoft recorded Q3 revenues of $16.43 billion and a net income of $5.23 billion.

JoystiqXbox 360 sees record fiscal Q3 sales, Kinect sold 2.4M units in quarter originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfinancialfinancialsfy-2011hardwarekinectmicrosoftq3salesxboxFri, 29 Apr 2011 10:25:00 EST