Sega Sammy bolstered with 52 per cent profits rise

Sega Sammy Holdings has reported a 52 per cent increase in profits for the six months from April through to September 2006, compared to the same period last year.

The company's slot machine and arcade business has been the main driver, helping Sega Sammy reach a profit of 38 billion Yen (EUR 251 million), up from 24.95 billion Yen (EUR 166 million) reported for the same period in 2005.

Software sales for the videogame business leapt past the previous years' figure, with 5.75 million units sold compared to 1.27 million for the first half of 2006. Of those units, 1.76 million were sold in Japan, 1.59 million in Europe, 2.36 million in the US and 30,000 in other regions.

A number of Japanese exclusive titles were singled-out as particularity strong performers, while Super Monkey Ball Adventure for the Nintendo DS and Football Manager 20006 for the Xbox 360 have sold well in other regions.

For the fiscal year ending March 2007, Sega Sammy has cut its forecast by 20 per cent, with an anticipated profit of 60 billion Yen (EUR 398 million), down from 75 billion Yen (EUR 487 million), and revenues expected to hit 580 billion Yen.