Sega's $102.5m full game sales help offset overall decline
Addition of Rovio boosts Sonic firm's results, publishing aiming to grow new gambling business
Sega has released its financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2024, showing an overall decline in net sales but a solid performance from its video games business.
The publisher generated ¥15.1 billion ($102.5 million) from full game sales, up nearly 40% compared to the same period last year. The Entertainment Contents division – which encompasses video games, toys and animation – saw sales rise 34% to ¥72.7 billion ($493.3 million).
The numbers
Net sales: ¥104.7 billion ($710.5 million, down 3.2% year-on-year)
Entertainment Contents net sales: ¥72.7 billion ($493.3 million, up 34%)
The highlights
Sega Sammy's overall net sales and profits fell year-on-year, with the company attributing this to the comparison with Smart Pachislot Hokuto No Ken's launch in the same period last year. In fact, the pachislot and pachinko division saw net sales drop 43% year-on-year to ¥28.8 billion ($195.8 million).
Entertainment Contents, however, saw sales and profit both increase year-on-year, with Sega Sammy reporting the segment actually exceeded expectations thanks to strong sales of DLC for its games and positive impact from foreign exchange.
Full game sales were up year-on-year, but "slighty below expectations" with 5.9 million games sold. Of these, 710,000 were new releases and 500,000 units were accounted for by Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance, highlighted as a key seller for the period.
New game sales generated ¥3.9 billion ($26.5 million) while back catalogue games brought in ¥11.2 billion ($76 million). Sega also reported "favourable performances" from Unicorn Overlord and the Persona 5 Royal remaster.
The increase in video game profits was also attributed to the inclusion of Rovio. Sega completed its acquisition of the Angry Birds developer back in August 2023, having acquired the company in a deal worth €706 million.
Elsewhere within Entertainment Contents, Sega reports strong revenues related to the Sonic The Hedgehog movies.
Sega expects a solid performance from Entertainment Contents for the rest of the fiscal year, thanks to the upcoming releases of Sonic X Shadow Generations, free-to-play spin-off Sonic Rumble, and new Atlus IP Metaphor: ReFantazio – plus the arrival of the third Sonic The Hedgehog movie on December 20, 2024.
The company also offered an update on its medium-term management plan announced in May, when Sega Sammy created its new Gaming Business to handle casino and igaming products.
There have already been two acquisitions made towards this goal, with Sega Sammy buying US firm GAN Limited – which runs a B2B platform for casino operators – in November, and last month announcing it will acquire Netherlands-based Stakelogic, which develops B2B iGaming content.