Deus Ex, FFXIII-2 push Square Enix to profit

Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Final Fantasy XIII-2 helped publisher Square Enix swing to profit for fiscal 2011, the company announced today. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, the company's Digital Entertainment business (which houses the firm's gaming endeavors) saw net sales surge 11.9 percent to ¥71.9 billion ($897.5 million) while operating income jumped up 11.7 percent to ¥12.6 billion ($157.3 million).

Square Enix did not offer specific sales figures for either game, but after shipping in August 2011, Deus Ex: Human Revolution was the top-selling game of the month and went on to ship 2 million units. Final Fantasy XIII-2 launched in North America on the last day of January and was February's second-best-selling title, beat out only by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

In total, Square Enix reported full-year net sales of ¥127.9 billion ($1.6 billion), up 2.1 percent year-over-year. Profits for the period came in at ¥6.1 billion ($76.1 million), up significantly from the ¥12 billion ($150 million) in losses tallied the year prior.

Square Enix also today delayed Crystal Dynamics' upcoming Tomb Raider reboot from a fall release to the first quarter of 2013. Of the delay, studio head Darrell Gallagher said, "I guarantee it will be worth the wait."

Making predictions about its current fiscal year, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada said the company will focus on improving the quality of its online games, which will in part lead the firm to improved earnings by the end of the year.