Turnover and operating profit from Konami’s video game business were respectively 706 million euros (up 4%) and 162 million euros (down 34%). Historically, however, this performance remains very good and only suffers from the comparison with the two years boosted by COVID, a period from which the video game sector has now emerged.
The other activities of Konami (arcades, casinos, sports halls) remain marginal but allow the whole group to post a turnover of one billion dollars, never before for Konami in the first half. As always, a good portion of the money comes from the armada of Yu-Gi-Oh products (video games and playing cards) and sports games on iOS/Android which serve as a benchmark in Japan, including Professional Baseball Spirits Ace.
The quarter saw the release of eFootball 2023 on living room platforms, from Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel on mobile and Amazing Bomberman on Apple Arcade, but it was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection that created the surprise by placing in the top 10 bestsellers for the month of September in the United States. In fact, Konami confirms that the compilation made “a very good start” thanks to the European and American markets.
Should it be emphasized, Konami has finally scored some points in the eyes of the community of alumni. First with the announcement of Suikoden I&II HD Remaster during the TGS and more recently with the Silent Hill event which led to multiple projects, including a remake of Silent Hill 2 that Bloober Team is preparing for PS5 and Steam. Silent Hill Townfall and Silent Hill f do not yet have platforms or launch windows, but have integrated Konami’s calendar well, unlike Silent Hill Ascension which, as we suspected, is therefore not not considered a video game.