Capcom has posted its performance report for the first half of the current financial year (April through to September, going by the calendar year), which shows a profit of $240 million (£148 million) for the first two quarters.
By comparison, the company’s performance during the same period last year drew in $492m (£305m), meaning profits have slumped by a total of 51 per cent. In tandem with the report, Capcom attributed the decline to a notable lack of new software. After all, during this period last year, Monster Hunter 4 launched in Japan and helped spearhead the Japanese publisher into the green.
Here’s the official statement from Capcom:
“In the Digital Contents business, Ultra Street Fighter IV Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy posted steady sales,” the company stated, “while Dead Rising 3, which sold over a million units in the previous fiscal year, continued to do well.
“However, no major new titles were released in this period, so sales focused on existing products.”
It’s not all doom and gloom, though, as the company is set to adhere to its financial guidance, ensuring that annual net sales still reach $740m, whereas net income is expected to be around $61m.
Fans of the renown publisher will know all to well that Capcom owns a vault of decorated IP. From Devil May Cry to Resident Evil and Mega Man to Street Fighter, the company isn’t exactly short of possible titles to revive. Back in 2012, Capcom had a bold vision for 2015 that would see new entries in DMC, Resident Evil and Street Fighter, and while Ninja Theory’s rendition of Dante was well received, it failed to muster enough sales to warrant a sequel.
As for the other two properties, the original Resident Evil is on its way to current-gen systems via a remastered re-release, while Capcom Producer Yoshinori Ono stated back in August that an all-new Street Fighter will hit PS4 and Xbox One at “some point.” Not exactly a glowing boost of confidence for the franchise, but hey, at least it’s something.