Capcom just had its most profitable year ever
And it's down to Monster Hunter World.
Monster Hunter World was such a massive hit for Capcom that it fuelled the company's most profitable year ever.
For the financial year ending March 2018, Capcom saw operating income up 17.5 per cent year-on-year to £108m, with net sales up 8.4 per cent to £636m.
Capcom said Monster Hunter World was "a massive, record-setting success". It's shipped 7.9m copies, which makes it the best-selling game in Capcom's history. It's outsold every Street Fighter game, every other Monster Hunter game and even every Resident Evil game. The company's previous best-selling game was 2009's Resident Evil 5, which has sold 7.3m units.
As you'd expect, Monster Hunter World's sales performance means the long-running franchise has finally cracked the West after years of immense popularity in Japan. Capcom said Monster Hunter World's "tremendous success overseas... marked the start of a new era for the brand".
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Other significant contributors to Capcom's bottom line include Nintendo Switch games such as Monster Hunter XX (Double Cross) and Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers. Letting the side down was disappointing fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, sales of which Capcom said "tended to be soft".
So, what's next from Capcom? Expect more Monster Hunter World "live service" events, a renewed esports push around Street Fighter 5 and the release of a video game or two. With E3 right around the corner, it won't be long before we find out if those Devil May Cry rumours are true.