Japanese video game giant Capcom announced its consolidated business results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. The company achieved record-high net sales and a sixth consecutive year of record-high profits driven by digital contents business in consolidated results for the year ended in March.
Net sales were $906 million (up 14.4 % from the previous fiscal year), operating income was $369 million (up 18.4 % from the previous fiscal year), ordinary income was $359 million (up 15.9 % from the previous fiscal year), and net income attributable to owners of the parent was $271 million (up 12.9 % from the previous fiscal year).
During the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2023, Capcom’s core Digital Contents business delivered annual sales of 41.7 million units for its home video game software, marking a year-over-year increase. The company achieved this by releasing major new titles in its flagship series, including Resident Evil 4 and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, and by pursuing catalog title sales digitally. Further, the company expanded earnings by leveraging these major brands in movies, character merchandise, and eSports. It also promoted efficient operations at stores and new store formats in its Arcade Operations business and utilized its IP in its Amusement Equipments businesses. As a result, Capcom achieved record-high net sales, the sixth consecutive year of record-high profit at all levels, and its tenth consecutive year of operating income growth.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (for Nintendo Switch, PC), which was released in June
2022, garnered positive reviews globally for its quick action and other features and secured steady popularity with ongoing measures, including free content updates, leading the game to achieve sales of 5.45 million units, which contributed significantly to earnings.
In addition, Resident Evil 4 (for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, PC), released in March 2023, continued to receive favorable market responses owing to its reimagining of the original story and use of cutting-edge graphics technology, leading the game to achieve sales of 3.75 million units, which contributed significantly to increasing sales.
As for catalog titles, the Company conducted proactive promotional campaigns to gain wider recognition for its intellectual property and acquire new fans. This, in conjunction with the synergetic effects of ongoing releases of new titles and pricing strategies, helped boost sales, mainly for series titles, such as Monster Hunter Rise, Monster Hunter: World, Devil May Cry 5, and Resident Evil Village. As a result, the sales volume of catalog titles was 29.3 million units, exceeding the 24 million units in the previous fiscal year and boosting sales.
Moving forward, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, Capcom anticipates net sales of $1 billion and operating income of $403 million, which would result in eleven consecutive years of operating income growth and seven consecutive years of record-high profit at all levels.
Capcom has recently filed a trademark for “Monster Hunter Puzzles: Felyne Isles” in multiple regions, leading to speculation that a remastered version of the Japan-exclusive “Airu de Puzzle” game may be on the way. An official announcement has yet to be made.
