Hudson expects Wii titles to boost profits 400 per cent
Incoming president targets JPY 10 billion in profits by 2011 off the back of Nintendo sales
Bomberman studio Hudson Soft has said that it expects to increase profits by 400 per cent over the next three years, as it continues to focus on releases for Nintendo's Wii console.
According to a Bloomberg report, Hudson is targeting operating profit of JPY 10 billion (USD 98 million) by March 2011, with the company also expecting to pay a dividend for the year ended March 31 - for the first time in five years.
"Two years from now will be the time when game software developers' profits are expected to grow the most, after the winner and loser for consoles becomes clear,'' said Michihiro Ishizuka, currently vice president of Hudson.
Ishizuka will take the position of president in June, replacing Hidetoshi Endo.
"I will ensure earnings jump in the next three years by promoting licensing of our games and increasing spending on promotions,” he said.
Operating profit for Hudson was up 53 per cent for the year ended March 31 to JPY 2.7 billion, beating the company's forecast of JPY 2 billion, thanks to better than expected sales on the Wii and DS.
Japanese developer and publisher Konami owns a majority stake in Hudson, which is best known for its Bomberman franchise.
The studio is currently taking advantage of opportunities with the Wii's Virtual Console, with a number of old TurboGrafx-16 games re-released via the download service.