Namco reports strong Q3 profits despite poor US sales

Japanese publisher Namco has announced its results for the quarter ended December 31st, with strong sales and profits reported overall despite disappointing sales in North America over the Christmas period.

The company reported profits of 6.6 billion Yen (â'¬49 million) on sales of 134.6 billion Yen (â'¬997 million), an incredibly strong sales figure which was boosted by the performance of titles such as PS2 rhythm game Taiko no Tatsujin (Drum Master) and GameCube RPG Baten Kaitos.

The company also named R: Racing Evolution as one of its best performing titles in the quarter, with the game contributing strongly to sales despite a poor critical response - although heavy discounting at Japanese retail shortly after release was reported.

However, the picture outside Japan is less positive, with North American subsidiary Namco Hometek failing to perform up to expectations. Overall sales in the USA during the Christmas period were poor, with the performance of titles including Spawn and the Argonaut-developed I-Ninja cited as being poor.

Namco plans to export its more successful titles from Japan over the course of the year - with R:Racing due to launch in Europe next month, while Taiko no Tatsujin and Baten Kaitos are both confirmed to appear in both Europe and the USA in the future.