As cuts and closures batter the industry, Capcom posts its 7th consecutive year of record-high profits and says the 8th is just around the corner

close up of Ashley smiling, plagas infection apparent around her eyes
(Image credit: Capcom)

It must be nice being Capcom. At a time when most of the games industry is in a historic bout of brutal layoffs, studio closures, and other assorted cost-cutting measures that mysteriously seem to never touch the C-suite, the Resident Evil and Street Fighter maker is raising salaries and, now, posting its seventh consecutive year of record profits and 11th consecutive year of operating profit growth.

In a Capcom press release earlier today, the company announced that its net sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 totalled 152,410 million yen, or around $979 million (£784 million, a 21% year-on-year increase. The company's myriad other income breakdowns—operating and ordinary income and "net income attributable to owners of the parent"—also saw double-digit percent increases.

What's responsible for all the moolah headed Capcom's way? The company attributes its results to its "core Digital Contents business," which is pretty much MBA-speak for games. The corporation sold more games in the last financial year than it's ever sold before: 45.89 million. In particular, Capcom calls out Street Fighter 6, "which leads [Capcom's] esports activities," and the release of Dragon's Dogma 2 as heavy hitters in its overall results.

Both of which, I'm led to believe, are very good games, but Capcom's given its biggest earner short shrift here: The real champion of its 2023/2024 financial year catalogue was none other than Leon S Kennedy. In a presentation released alongside its announcement, Capcom put out a chart of the financial year's top videogame sellers. Resident Evil 4 pipped Street Fighter 6 to the post with around 3.4 million sales in the financial year (making 7 million sales over its lifetime so far). SF6 fell just short of that, with 3.3 million sales.

Also, Monster Hunter: World continues chugging along as the world's 10th-or-so largest religion: It took up third place in the financial year with 2.8 million copies sold, making 25 million sales across its lifetime).

Finally, shout to Dragon's Dogma 2, the deeply idiosyncratic RPG that released with barely any time in the financial year left, and which has still managed to be Capcom's fourth biggest seller with 2.6 million copies sold. I guess those microtransactions didn't annoy people too much.

So, yes, Capcom's had its best year ever since last year, which was its best year ever since the year before that, and so on and so forth. The company forecasts that its next financial year—the one we're in now—will see it sell 50 million units. An interesting prediction, given that the company is kind of out of massively popular, universally beloved Resident Evils to remake. So, hey, let's meet back here this time next year to see if it made good on the promise. 

Joshua Wolens
News Writer

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.

Read more
Capcom producer Ryozo Tsujimoto
I'd be a nervous wreck, but Monster Hunter Wilds' producer is 'very confident' following up Capcom's bestselling game ever
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake
Hell has frozen over, pigs are flying, and a Square Enix game has actually managed to exceed the publisher's ludicrous sales expectations
Monster Hunter: World
Monster Hunter: World continues to fly off the shelves as anticipation for Wilds reaches critical mass
Monster Hunter Wilds screen
Monster Hunter Wilds sells 8 million copies in 3 days, 'the fastest any game has done so in Capcom’s history'
A Vanu Vanu munches on a soft taco
Final Fantasy 14 is, you guessed it, still making bank for Square Enix as Dawntrail rakes in the big bucks, though it might not be all sunshine and tacos
Capcom producer Ryozo Tsujimoto
Longtime Monster Hunter producer promoted to head of all game development at Capcom
Latest in Gaming Industry
A computer screen with program code warning of a detected malware script program. 3d illustration
Coder faces 10 years' jailtime for creating a 'kill switch' that screwed-up his employers' systems when he was laid off
Atomfall screenshot
Rebellion CEO puts the studio's recent avoidance of layoffs down to control of scope and cost: 'Sometimes we say, guys, this game's too big'
Judge Dredd promotional image in Warzone
Half-a-dozen 2000AD games were in the works before fizzling out: 'The games you get to see are a tiny representative of the number that get started—sadly'
sniper elite 5 cover
Sniper Elite CEO reckons Swen Vincke is right to snarl at short-sighted publishers: 'You could argue that their business at senior level isn't making games… their business is managing their shareholders' perceptions'
Kasumi and Joker in Persona 5 Royal.
After 31 years in games, Persona director Katsura Hashino just got a 'Newcomer Award' and $5,000 from the Japanese government
A picture of Bowser behind jail bars.
Nintendo wins major French piracy case with EU-wide consequences: 'Significant not only for Nintendo, but for the entire games industry'
Latest in News
A young witch watering a smiling mushroom in a magic garden
Here's a roguelite dungeon crawler Steam reviewers call 'a botanical Diablo' and 'like Cult of the Lamb' except you manage a mystical garden
Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine: The Emissary, massive, ominously standing at the edge of a water basin.
Oops! Bungie rolled out Destiny 2's Rite of the Nine event three weeks early, and new loot is already dropping
No Rest for the Wicked Steam early access screenshots
No Rest for the Wicked developer Moon Studios is now 'fully independent' after acquiring the rights to the game from Take-Two
A hunter posing with an absurd Blangonga outfit in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Attention, fashion hunters: There's a Monster Hunter Wilds mod to disable all those obnoxious glowing buff effects that distract from your fits
Fallout New Vegas Key Art
The Fallout season 2 leaks continue with videos of the New Vegas set, including a sign for Mr. House's casino
Gallywix wears an uneasy smile as he's confronted by Xal'atath in WoW: The War Within.
World of Warcraft guild uses exploits to get world 'first' on the game's new raid, gets banned, puts its name backwards and does it again