Sega Sammy has returned to profitability during the first six months of fiscal 2010 (April 1 to September 30). Officials said the company generated a record US$302.1m in profits on $3.4bn in revenues, compared with a $78.3m loss during the same period last year.
Sega Japan said its amusement machine sales during the period "remained solid" with net sales up 9.4 per cent over the same period last year to $258m. Officials said a key reason for improved coin-op video game sales was the introduction of Border Break: Sega Network Robot Wars into the Japanese market in September 2009.
The title, configured as a massively multiplayer online game, is the first video game to run on Sega’s new RingEdge arcade board, which is based on PC architecture.
Sega’s arcade operations in Japan were also strong. The division boosted its profits by a margin of nearly 400 per cent. At the same time, arcade operational revenues dropped 18 per cent to $292.5m. Sega said it has closed 10 arcades and opened only two new sites this year. The arcade operation now comprises 252 venues.
Also for Japan’s fiscal first half, Sega Sammy’s home video game sales rose two per cent to $481.2m; the consumer game division reported an operating loss, but it was far lower than last year’s.
