Nippon Ichi back in black
Company improvement as strong domestic sales exceed expectations
Japanese publisher and developer Nippon Ichi has seen a return to profit in its latest financial results, with a small increase in sales and a reversal of losses made the previous year.
Best known for the Disgaea franchise, Nippon Ichi saw sales rise by 4.4 per cent to ¥2.21 billion ($27.5m/€19.4m). Operating income rose from a loss of ¥235 million ($2.9m/€2.1m) the previous year to a profit of ¥315 million ($3.9m/€2.8m) this year.
According to a financial statement translated by website Andriasang the recovery was primarily due to strong domestic sales, with the majority of releases selling beyond expectations.
No specific examples were given but the company released nine new titles during the last 12 months: seven brand new games, one port and one budget re-release.
For the current financial year the company is predicting a 3.2 increase in sales to ¥2.29 billion ($28.3m/€20.1m), but a drop in operating income to ¥107 million ($1.3m/€0.9m).