MGS4 solidifies Konami earnings

Ever since Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots went on sale to rapt reviews, it was clear that the game would be a hit. Just how big a hit became clear a fortnight after the game went on sale, when Konami announced that the stealth actioner sold over 3 million units worldwide in just 14 days.

Today, Konami reported its earnings for the April-June quarter, which contained MGS4's June 12 release. For the three-month period, the Tokyo-based publisher took in revenues of ¥70.8 billion ($654 million), up just 17 percent from the year prior. Consolidated operating income rose a solid 65 percent to ¥11.6 billion ($107.2 million), with post-tax net income ringing in at ¥5.7 billion ($52.1 million).

Unsurprisingly, MGS4 has drastically altered the ratio of platforms on which Konami earns its money. For the current quarter, 57.3 percent of the company's income came from the PlayStation 3, up 56 percent from the same period a year prior. Wii income roughly doubled from 5 percent to 9.9 percent, whereas Xbox 360 income increased from 1.6 percent to 2.6 percent. PlayStation 2 income fell dramatically from 35.7 percent to 11.5 percent, Nintendo DS revenue went from 32.8 percent to just 7.6 percent, and PSP revenue went from 20.5 percent to 9.5 percent.

For its 2009 financial year, which ends on March 31, 2009, Konami expects net income of ¥26 billion ($240 million) on revenues of ¥330 billion ($3.1 billion), respective increases of 11 and 41.7 percent.