Capcom gains credited to Monster Hunter Switch

Capcom has reported a 17.5 per cent net sales jump and 191.5 per cent increase in operating income for the first half of its current fiscal year.

The success was driven by the company’s Digital Contents business, which includes games and mobile. Sales at the division were up 23 per cent year-on-year. In comparison, arcade was up 7.7 per cent and amusement equipment 12.3 per cent.

Digital Contents operating income soared by 248.4 per cent.

The performance of Switch title Monster Hunter XX was described as “strong”, although the contribution of the 3DS SKU was also credited. Online title Monster Hunter Frontier Z “performed steadily”, the company said, while mobile title Monster Hunter Explore “remained popular”.

Capcom had previously hinted at a disappointing performance from the game’s first iteration, Monster Hunter Generations, so its success on Nintendo’s new platform could shape Capcom’s future attitudes towards the hardware – especially as fellow Switch release Ultra Street Fighter II has also been, in Capcom’s words, a “smash hit”, despite very mixed reviews.

Others titles enjoyed a good period, too, with Resident Evil 7 having now shipped over 4m units and Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite shipping 900k units since September. Overall Digital Contents unit sales were up 25 per cent year-on-year.

As seen elsewhere in the industry, digital sales are on the rise, and Capcom now expects digital sales to account for a third of its total by the end of the year. Its expectations for January’s Monster Hunter: World have also increased.