Konami has released its year-end financial report, noting a drop in net income by 53 percent. The company reports strong sales of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, but not enough to meet profit targets.
The publisher reports ¥6.2 billion ($61 million) in net income, down from ¥13.2 billion ($130 million) last year and short of a ¥6.5 billion (63.9 million) forecast. Konami is only forecasting a slight uptick next year, with projected net income of ¥7 billion ($68.8 million).
Most notable is the 44 percent decrease in the digital entertainment division’s operating income.
This is the business unit responsible for console and PC games, including Castlevania, Pro Evolution Soccer, and Yu Gi Oh. Additionally, despite the positive response to Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (which sold-in over 1 million units), video games sales dropped by 20 percent from 13.61 million to 10.81 million across fiscal years.
Konami has also shared a list of upcoming titles. We know that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and, likely, another installment of Pro Evolution Soccer are in the works. However, there is nothing else listed in the company’s release pipeline for the west.
[Source: Konami]
Our Take
I’m not sure what to expect from Konami at E3, with the lukewarm reception to Lords of Shadow 2, and the recent stumbles in the Silent Hill series. The last few years have been fairly thin for the publisher, and while there is excitement for Phantom Pain, that isn’t enough.