Carried by the 13.4 million copies sold of the last magnum opus of FromSoftware, a good increase compared to the 12 million units listed on March 16, the Japanese group ends its year with a turnover up 20%, to the tune of 6.4 billion euros (889, 27 billion yen), to generate an operating profit of 913 million euros (125.49 billion yen, up 48.2%); net profit amounted to 675 million euros, up 89.7% compared to the previous financial year. A performance that exceeds the publisher’s forecasts, even though the results of the video game branch, still dominant in the group’s turnover, only recorded an increase of 11.9% after having been in decline. at the end of the first nine months of the year.
The so-called division Digitalwhich brings together video game activities on consoles, mobiles and PCs, accounts for 2.75 billion euros (378.17 billion yen) in turnover, neck and neck with the division Toys and Hobby, which once again consecrates Bandai Namco as the king of Japanese toys with 2.72 billion euros (373.62 billion yen), for respective operating profits of 507 and 380 million euros (+ 22.6 % and +33.9% YoY). In this sector, Bandai Namco can count on the increase in sales of Gunpla models, and in particular their great success abroad, to stimulate sales, not to mention the resumption of leisure activities with the reopening of centers and the good health of licensed trading cards.
In addition to Elden Ring, which explodes the initial estimates set at 4 million copies, the publisher highlights in its results the good performance of Tales of Arise, which recently claimed 2 million copies sold all over the world. Bandai Namco recognizes that while the games service had a good start and stable sales, they did not maintain a level of performance comparable to last year. The publisher adds that initial costs, and in particular development costs, have increased due to the launch of a greater number of new major titles compared to the same period of the previous year. In total, 56 million games bearing the publisher’s brand have passed this year, including 52 million in the West, a performance which should be lower next year according to the first estimates – this is not all years that we can count on a FromSoftware game in its catalog.
For the year in the running, Bandai Namco is betting on several high-potential projects, highlighting titles already announced such as the survival game Dragon Ball: The Breakers, the RPG One Piece Odyssey, the FPS free-to-play Gundam Evolution and the intriguing Unknown9: Awakening to boost the industry.
As every year, the domestic market of Japan remains the main driving force behind the group’s other activities, since the Archipelago still accounts for 70% of the turnover achieved this year (625.46 billion yen, +8, 7%), and 83% of operating profit (104.61 billion yen, +22.6%). All product categories combined, the Dragon Ball license once again finished in the lead with a stable annual turnover of 928 million euros (127.6 billion yen), ahead of Gundam (740 million euros) and One Piece (320 million euros).
For the current financial year ended March 31, 2023, the group expects a slight increase in turnover of 880 billion yen (+2.8% year-on-year), an operating profit of 100 billion yen (-2.8% YoY), and a net profit of 70 billion yen (-17.7% YoY).
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