Capcom mobile profits triple, online game profits decline in latest earnings results

Capcom has posted financial results for the first nine months of the current fiscal year, with a notable decrease in both revenue and profits compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. The company blamed these drops on the public reaction to online game releases in general. It said that public reaction in the current fiscal year has not matched that of the previous year, when there was a surge of interest due to the mass release of major consumer online titles. The statement from Capcom noted that Monster Hunter 3G for the Nintendo 3DS sold over one million copies during the fiscal year, while releases such as Ultimate Marvel VS. Capcom 3 and Dead Rising 2: Off The Record have also sold well. It also said that the Monster Hunter Frontier Online series has shown "steady growth supported by its stable popularity." In terms of mobile content, Capcom stated that Snoopy's Street Fair fared well in Japan and Asia during the fiscal term, while The Smurfs' Village continued to enjoy success. Overall, Capcom's mobile subsidiary Beeline is said to have "contributed greatly to improving our earning capacity," bringing the total number of mobile game downloads during this fiscal period up to 46 million. Elsewhere, the company's arcade and amusement operations fared well, with Capcom stating that it has made "efforts to attract senior citizens as a means of generating new demands." For the nine months ended December 31, 2011, Capcom's Consumer Online Games division posted revenue of ¥31.7 billion ($416.8 million), down 41.3 percent compared to ¥54.1 billion ($710.4 million) for the same period in the previous fiscal year. In comparison, it posted operating income of ¥5.9 billion ($78.1 million), down 54.1 percent compared to ¥12.9 billion ($170.1 million) year-over-year. The company's mobile division posted revenues of ¥4.0 million ($52.7 million), up 68.2 percent compared to ¥2.4 billion ($31.3 million) year-over-year, and operating income of ¥1.4 billion ($17.9 million), up a notable 189.1 percent compared to the previous year's ¥472 million ($6.2 million). Overall, Capcom posted revenue of ¥50.3 billion ($660.6 million), down 29 percent compared to ¥70.8 billion ($930.0 million) year-over-year, and profits of ¥3.2 billion ($42.6 million), down 52.6 percent compared to ¥6.8 billion ($89.8 million) year-over-year.