Bandai Namco sees game sales up 14%

Bandai Namco today reported its financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, showing gains across most of its business divisions, and overall growth driven primarily by its video game segment.

Company-wide, net sales were up 9.4% to ¥678.31 billion ($6.19 billion), with operating profits up 18.6% to ¥75.02 billion ($680 million). The largest part of those numbers came from its gaming businesses, which saw sales up 14.2% to ¥405.99 billion ($3.70 billion) and operating profits up 24.6% to ¥52.37 billion ($480 million).

The company gave no indication as to which games were particularly strong performers, but Bandai Namco's fiscal year saw the launch of a number of high-profile games, including Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, and Project Cars 2. Bandai Namco games collectively sold 28.87 million copies during the fiscal year, up 13% from the prior year.

For the current fiscal year, Bandai Namco is forecasting full-year sales down 4.2% to ¥650 billion ($5.93 billion), with operating profits down 20% to ¥60 billion ($550 million). Unit sales for games are projected to be down 14% to 24.7 million. The company's home and network games division is forecast to see revenues drop 8.1% to ¥300 billion ($2.74 billion), while its arcade game division could see sales up 10.4% to ¥100 billion ($910 million). Games already announced and expected to launch this year include Soulcalibur VI and Dark Souls: Remastered.