Social Games Help Konami To Q1 Profits Increase

Konami has released its financial results for the first quarter, noting an increase in revenue and operating income from its Digital Entertainment division. The company attributed much of this success to its sales of social games, such as Dragon Collection, Sengoku Collection and Professional Baseball Dream Nine. It noted that Dragon Collection in particular has amassed over eight million registered users. Soccer and baseball games are steady sellers for Konami, with Professional Baseball Spirits 2011 selling respectably on consoles, and its new Digital Game Card series, featuring sport-orientated subject matter, also selling well. For the quarter ended June 30, 2011, the Digital Entertainment branch saw its revenues increase to ¥26.1 billion ($328.6 million) from ¥25.0 billion ($314.8 million) compared to the same quarter last year. Operating income for the division increased to ¥6.1 billion ($76.8 million) from ¥2.3 billion ($29.0 million) year-on-year. Overall, Konami saw an increase in revenue over all operations, up to ¥54.9 billion ($691.2 million) from ¥53.2 billion ($669.8 million) year-on-year. In comparison, its profits rose to ¥4.0 billion ($50.4 million), up 219.7 percent from ¥1.3 billion ($16.4 million) year-on-year.