Bandai Namco says it aims to refocus its game development efforts on quality after its gaming business suffered a steep decline in profits. The company recently published its financial results for the third quarter of the fiscal year (the period between October-December 2023), showing a notable dip in its gaming revenue.
While Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball and One Piece mobile games performed stably both in Japan and international markets, its home video games profits fell during that period. Sales were down to 263,012 million yen (down 8.9% year-on-year), despite From Software’s Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon still performing well. Tech Raptor reports that the company “intends to promote stricter screening of its games, strategically develop games to obtain an optimal title portfolio and strengthen the overall development management via the collaboration with Bandai Namco Studios.”
Bandai Namco has revised its full-year operating profit forecast down from 125,000 million yen to 82,000 million yen, resulting in a 34% cut.
The publisher recently launched Tekken 8 to strong sales, selling 2 million copies since its launch on 26 January. The fighter is expected to continue performing strongly in sales as the developer plans to support the game with updates including new DLC characters – the first being Eddy Gordo as part of the first season’s pass. Bandai Namco’s other fighting game, Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash, also released earlier this month but sales numbers weren’t outlined.
Bandai Namco’s schedule for 2024 will see the release of Sand Land, a game based on the works of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. It’s currently scheduled to launch in April this year. Little Nightmares III from Until Dawn studio Supermassive Games is also scheduled to release this year. It’s safe to say that while both will probably resonate with its fan bases, the games aren’t necessarily major releases which is why Bandai Namco adjusted its forecast.
Source: Tech Raptor