Sales up at Capcom thanks to 'stalwart' Monster Hunter franchise

Capcom has posted its financials for the six months ended September 30, and the Japanese outfit seems pleased with its performance. 

Net sales were up by 17.6 percent year-over-year to 33.73 billion yen ($295.5 million), while profits rose by 757.5 percent to 3.48 billion yen ($30.4 million). 

In the company's digital contents division, which houses its video games operations, net sales leapt up by 23 percent year-over-year to 20.14 billion yen ($176.4 million). Operating income also surged upward, rising by 248.4 percent to 3.83 billion yen (33.6 million). 

That positive shift was driven by the "stalwart" performance of Monster Hunter XX for the Nintendo Switch, and a "strong" display by Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. 

Capcom branded another Switch release, Ultra Street Fighter II The Final Challengers, a "smash hit," and praised the steady performance of online title Monster Hunter Frontier Z.

Monster Hunter also proved to be a key asset on mobile, with Capcom waxing lyrical about the popularity of its Monster Hunter Explore smartphone offering.  

Elsewhere, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard surpassed 4 million units shipped, although that still puts the game someway off its lifetime sales target of 10 million units.

Overall, Capcom described its progress as "favorable," and feels its still on track to meet its sales and profits forecasts of 93 billion yen ($814.8 million) and 9.3 billion yen ($81.5 million) by the end of the fiscal year.