Square Enix, publisher of the blockbuster Final Fantasy franchise, today announced their financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. The company saw their net sales jump to ¥192 billion from ¥135 billion the same period last year. Their operating income in the games division saw an amazing 254% jump year-over-year from ¥6.7 billion to ¥23.8 billion. Overall, Square Enix saw a net profit of ¥9.5 billion, versus ¥6.3 billion last year.
This was a record-breaking year for Square Enix, with a recurring income of ¥27.8 billion, the highest since 2007’s ¥26.2 billion. The company also saw a record high in unit sales across all regions, with a whopping 26.66 million units sold. As broken down by region, Square Enix sold 44 million units in Japan, 28 million units in North America, 27 million units in Europe, and 1 million units in other regions. Their previous record was in 2007, when the publisher had 16.93 million units sold in all regions.
The games division saw sales driven by the company’s top 5 multi-million sellers. Square Enix’ worldwide tentpole title, Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, sold 5.55 million units alone. Dragon Quest IX for Nintendo DS, their Japanese-centric RPG franchise, sold 4.26 million units in Japan alone. Batman: Arkham Asylum, from subsidiary Eidos, sold 3.34 million units, mostly in North America and Europe. Other Nintendo DS titles round out the top five with Kingdom Hearts: 385/2 Days pushing 1.49 million units, and the remake of Dragon Quest VI selling 1.29 million units.
Just Cause 2 (360/PS3) was number six with 1.19 million units sold in North America and Europe by the end of 2010. Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP) both squeaked just under the million mark with 820,000 units and 760,000 units sold, respectively.
Heading into the next fiscal year, Square Enix looks to strengthen their current IP, create new AAA titles, expand into the network space, and build a stronger market in the U.S., Europe, and China. Following the three big hitters, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix's mentioned IP includes Tomb Raider, Hitman, Kane & Lynch, Deus Ex, Just Cause, Front Mission, Parasite Eve, Fullmetal Alchemist, Star Ocean, and Supreme Commander.
Of those franchises, five will be receiving installments this year: Dragon Quest (Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 & Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road Victory), Kane & Lynch (Kane & Lynch 2: Dogs Days), Kingdom Hearts (Birth by Sleep for overseas markets), Final Fantasy (Final Fantasy XIV Online), and Front Mission (Front Mission Evolved). The company is forecasting unit sales of 24 million for the next fiscal year, with North America and Europe taking a larger slice of the pie.
