Capcom Net Income Up Slightly Despite Heavy Blow To Sales From Monster Hunter 4 ‘Downturn’

Capcom has reported a significant shortfall in sales for the nine months ending December 31, 2014. The company’s fiscal year 2015 sales performance is behind last year by 36.4 percent largely due to a “downturn” in Monster Hunter 4 performance.

With Monster Hunter 4's release in the east last year, the company saw a sales boom. Capcom had nothing to rival that performance in its current fiscal year.

The company reported net sales of ¥47.8 billion ($407 million) for the nine-months, but quarterly comparisons for the September through December period year-over-year were largely consistent. This indicates that the year-to-date shortfall is carried over from previous quarters.

On the plus side, operating income is up for the quarter at ¥5.3 billion ($45.5 million) and the year-to-date at ¥9.7 billion ($82.8 million). Net income is also up year-over-year for the quarter (¥6.5 billion / $55.7 million) and nine-month period (¥3.6 billion / 30.35 million).

In January, Capcom revised its sales projections for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015 down 20 percent. The publisher cited softness in its pachislo machines and the delay of a new model. Catalog sales including Monster Hunter 4 and Ultra Street Fighter IV are keeping profits afloat, though.

[Source: Capcom]

Our Take
Capcom has continued to struggle financially, with peaks and deep valleys peppering its quarterly announcements. The company is leaning quite heavily on Monster Hunter and Street Fighter with a need to reinforce its core franchises and further diversify for western tastes. In other words, Resident Evil 7 would be a big boon, especially if it returned the series to its roots.