Kingdom Hearts II, FFXII propel Square profits

Last week, Square Enix took a look at its financial numbers and decided some readjusting was in order. However, the company didn't mind as the new numbers were well into the black. On April 18, the company expected to take in 10 billion yen ($88.5 million), but on March 17 tweaked the number considerably to 17 billion yen ($150.5 million)--a change of 70 percent.

It looks like its adjustments were almost right on. Today, the company released its earning for its 2005 fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2006. Square Enix added 17.1 billion yen ($151.2 million) to its account, up from FY2004's 14.9 billion yen ($132 million).

Total sales reached 124.5 billion yen ($1.1 billion), up 68.5 percent from the previous year's 73.9 billion yen ($654.4 million)--which was itself a 17 percent jump over the previous year. Between this year and last, the increased profit was a 14.4 percent increase, down from the 35.8 percent jump between FY04 and FY05, despite 2005's considerable leap in sales.

Notable titles for the year include the Japanese releases of Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy: Advent Children, and Kingdom Hearts II in Japan, as well as Dragon Quest VIII and Kingdom Hearts II in North America.

For the upcoming fiscal year, ending March 31, 2007, Square Enix predicts a slower year. The company expects net sales to hit 53 million yen ($470 million) and net income to be roughly 5.5 million yen ($48.8 million).