Dragon Quest, FFXIII boost Square Enix profits
Just Cause sequel also helps publisher swing to profit in strong quarter
Square Enix has reported profits of ¥1.812 billion ($21.05m / £13.3m) for the quarter ended June 30, compared to a loss of ¥1.672 million ($19.43m / £12.23m).
Second quarter operating income was up 814 per cent to ¥5.434 billion ($63.15m / £39.87m) from a figure of ¥594 million ($6.9, / £4.36m), with net sales up 10.7 per cent to ¥32.54 billion ($378.2m / £238.75m), compared to ¥29.4 billion ($341.69m / £215.7m)
The million-selling Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 on DS was cited as a key performer, whilst the continued strong sales of Final Fantasy XIII and Just Cause 2 were also contributing factors.
The Digital Entertainment segment - which handles all of Square Enix' console, PC, handheld and mobile game business - posted net sales of ¥16.626 billion ($193.23m / £121.87m) and an operating profit of ¥5.891 billion ($68.47m / £43.22m).
The company's Amusements section weathered the storm of a difficult period for the industry with an operating profit of ¥683 million ($7.94m / £5m), whilst Publications boasted operating profits of ¥1.251 billion ($ 14.54m/ £9.18m). Merchandising brought the company an operating profit of ¥223 million ($2.6m / £1.64m).
"The (Square-Enix) group is prepared to meet the new business environment that is expanding our customer base through the proliferation of broadband networks to homes and a wider selection of game platforms," said the company.
"We view this change as an opportunity to capture new profit sources and are making every effort to expand our financially well-established network related businesses to have our group's attractive content enjoyed by an ever-growing number of users."