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[desmax]

Nippon Ichi's Q2 2017 earnings were released, and I gotta say, I'm really impressed by these numbers.

Credit for @bk2128 on twitter for the translation.
Original Source: http://nippon1.co.jp/news/pdf/2016/20161111_1.pdf

Nippon Ichi earnings - Sales Q2
FY2016:1467M yen
Q2 FY2017: 1991M yen (Up 35.7%)

https://twitter.com/bk2128/status/796975809445535744

Nippon Ichi earnings - Operating Profit
Q2 FY2016: 86M yen
Q2 FY2017: 335M yen (Up 288.1%!!)

https://twitter.com/bk2128/status/796975976265588740

Nippon Ichi earnings - Ordinary Profit
Q2 FY2016: 69M yen
Q2 FY2017: 307M yen (Up 340.4%!!!)

https://twitter.com/bk2128/status/796976226137042944

Nippon Ichi earnings - Net Profit for Shareholders
Q2 FY2016: -19M yen
Q2 FY2017: 129M yen (Huge positive!)

https://twitter.com/bk2128/status/796976361885745153

No specific titles get notable mentions in Nippon Ichi's Q2 FY2017 earnings though, just 'We've released so&so in Japan and in the West'

https://twitter.com/bk2128/status/796976883082477568

However Nippon Ichi did make a special statement that they managed to satisfy existing customers with collaboration products at Comiket etc.

https://twitter.com/bk2128/status/796977102960476160

 

[Cow Goes Moo]

thanks steam

 

[LordKano]

Good. Keep going, steam releases.

 

[dragonflys545]

Sucks they aren't making anymore Disgaea games :/

 

[LordKano]

Sucks they aren't making anymore Disgaea games :/

There was four years between Disgaea 4 and 5. The latter just released one year ago. They will still make more Disgaea, no reason to stop their biggest franchise, even though the last was a commercial failure.

 

[NoSkillz187]

Sucks they aren't making anymore Disgaea games :/

Whhhhhhaat? Why not?

 

[desmax]

There was four years between Disgaea 4 and 5. The latter just released one year ago. They will still make more Disgaea, no reason to stop their biggest franchise, even though the last was a commercial failure.

No, it wasn't. It sold really good in the west, so it made up for the poor japanese release.
They even wrote that in their website: http://nippon1.co.jp/intro.html

 

[YianGaruga]

thanks steam

uh huh

the only one that did great numbers was Disgaea, and that was always successful

 

[LewieP]

Presumably down to Steam releases?

I hope the trend of Japanese niche games finding an audience on Steam increases. It's amazing to me how long the huge audience has been ignored by devs/publishers with games that would suit the audience really well.

Edit: ~15m yen for Phantom Brave is probably pretty good for a publisher the size of NIS, especially given it's not been bundled yet.

 

[LordKano]

No, it wasn't. It sold really good in the west, so it made up for the poor japanese release.

Do we have any numbers in the west ? I recall 100k, which is okay but certainly doesn't made up the awful sales in the japan (they were aiming for 150k and sold like 12k the FW, 50k LTD IIRC).

 

[desmax]

Do we have any numbers in the west ? I recall 100k, which is okay but certainly doesn't made up the abyssal sales in the japan (they were aiming for 150k and sold like 12k the FW, 50k LTD IIRC).

120k in the west, 60k in japan as of January of this year, according to an interview on famitsu if I'm correct. Would be more than what D3 sold on the same timeframe.

I'd have to dig that up, but I remember someone posting that on gaf

 

[Cow Goes Moo]

uh huh
the only one that did great numbers was Disgaea, and that was always successful

progress, gotta start somewhere ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

higher revenue blah blah low cost ports blah something blah

120k in the west, 60k in japan as of January of this year, according to an interview on famitsu if I'm correct. Would be more than what D3 sold on the same timeframe.

I'd have to dig that up, but I remember someone posting that on gaf

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1178492

 

[desmax]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1178492

Oh, I wasn't too far away.

Thanks

 

[Rymuth]

'We've released so&so in Japan and in the West'

If this is the actual quote verbatim, it is amazing.

 

[GhostTrick]

uh huh

the only one that did great numbers was Disgaea, and that was always successful

Then again: Low entry cost -> Higher revenue.
Even though I don't buy the "thanks steam" narrative in this case, it surely helped.

 

[LordKano]

120k in the west, 60k in japan as of January of this year, according to an interview on famitsu if I'm correct. Would be more than what D3 sold on the same timeframe.

I'd have to dig that up, but I remember someone posting that on gaf

Disgaea 3 sold almost 60k on its first week alone, and stayed in the top 25 for a few weeks, so it certainly didn't sold more than D3 in Japan.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236610
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239544
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=242348

However, after some research, you were right as Disgaea 3 "only" sold the same in the US as in Japan. It's not the case for D5, so both games must have sold more or less in the same area.
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/0...disgaea-4-sales-and-black-rock-shooter-plans/

So it was a bit of an hyperbole to call it a commercial failure. It's still a net decline compared to Disgaea 4 though, as it quickly sold 150k units in US and 80k on its FW in Japan.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=423216

EDIT : Crap, too slow.

 

[Momentary]

On the PC front, I think 10-15K for ports that are years old is probably pretty good profit for them. I'm sure porting costs were low. Disgaea almost selling 100K @ $15 to $20 a pop on STEAM probably helped a lot too. Also, Stranger of Sword City has been 30-40 bucks since it's release and it sold upward to 13000 copies. That's nothing to scoff at for such a small company.

Are there profits coming in from other sources? I don't know anything about the console/handheld landscape.

 

[desmax]

Disgaea 3 sold almost 60k on its first week alone, and stayed in the top 25 for a few weeks, so it certainly didn't sold more than D3 in Japan.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236610
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239544
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=242348

However, after some research, you were right as Disgaea 3 "only" sold the same in the US as in Japan. It's not the case for D5, so both games must have sold more or less in the same area.
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/0...disgaea-4-sales-and-black-rock-shooter-plans/

So it was a bit of an hyperbole to call it a commercial failure. It's still a net decline compared to Disgaea 4 though, as it quickly sold 150k units in US and 80k on its FW in Japan.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=423216

EDIT : Crap, too slow.

Guess saying that it sold more than D3 was a hyperbole of my part.

 

[2+2=5]

Happy for them!
Steam sales are usually low for these games so i would say they may have helped(remember that porting isn't free) but nothing more.

 

[YianGaruga]

Even though I don't buy the "thanks steam" narrative in this case, it surely helped.

Yup that was my point. I'd say their titles are doing okay so far.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

This is awesome, I'm a big fan of NIS's output. Hope they keep developing and localizing great games, especially these smaller, more experimental side projects and new IP they've been doing lately.

 

[GhostTrick]

Happy for them!
Steam sales are usually low for these games so i would say they may have helped(remember that porting isn't free) but nothing more.

Porting cost next to nothing. This is vastly overthrown by the fact that they don't have to manage costs, produced games and the higher revenue per copy sold.

I'd also say that NIS games sales are usually low.

 

[mejin]

Porting cost next to nothing. This is vastly overthrown by the fact that they don't have to manage costs, produced games and the higher revenue per copy sold.

I'd also say that NIS games sales are usually low.

If those games were developed for Steam only they would be fucked.

 

[YianGaruga]

Sales around 10k seem to be what you should expect for a late port of lesser known games these days. Big successes like Disgaea are great when they happen, but you can't rely on that. So unless NISA have unrealistic expectations I think they're fine with the numbers.

If those games were developed for Steam only they would be fucked.

Well they're not, so I don't see how that is relevant.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

Porting cost next to nothing. This is vastly overthrown by the fact that they don't have to manage costs, produced games and the higher revenue per copy sold.

I'd also say that NIS games sales are usually low.

Steam has definitely helped them, but I don't think their Steam releases are the difference between profitability and losing money, which is all Yian Garuga is suggesting. Steam hasn't 'saved' Nippon Ichi, largely because 1. They don't need saving, and 2. They have a large and healthy audience on Playstation consoles both domestically and abroad. That said, Steam IS a nice revenue stream for them, low cost/high profit venture for sure, even with a small number of sales. I'm sure their trend of development for Playstation consoles for the home market, then localizing/porting to Steam for the west will continue in the future.

 

[GhostTrick]

If those games were developed for Steam only they would be fucked.

1) They're not
2) If they were developped for Steam only, you'd hope they'd market it a lot more.

But you're missing the point. It's not about making Steam only game. It's about getting an additionnal stream of revenue with a low entry cost.

Steam has definitely helped them, but I don't think their Steam releases are the difference between profitability and losing money, which is all Yian Garuga is suggesting. Steam hasn't 'saved' Nippon Ichi, largely because 1. They don't need saving, and 2. They have a large and healthy audience on Playstation consoles both domestically and abroad. That said, Steam IS a nice revenue stream for them, low cost/high profit venture for sure, even with a small number of sales. I'm sure their trend of development for Playstation consoles for the home market, then localizing/porting to Steam for the west will continue in the future.

Actually, YianGaruga and I actually agreed on that point. Basically, what I'm saying here is to not overestimate Steam's role in these revenues but to not underestimate them either.

 

[mejin]

1) They're not
2) If they were developped for Steam only, you'd hope they'd market it a lot more.

But you're missing the point. It's not about making Steam only game. It's about getting an additionnal stream of revenue with a low entry cost.

Actually, YianGaruga and I actually agreed on that point. Basically, what I'm saying here is to not overestimate Steam's role in these revenues but to not underestimate them either.

I do agree 100% with this.

Steam is a really good extra for them.

 

[Gitaroo]

More like no thanks to steam, I always but physical copies of NIS, mostly collector edition too. Now that everything is on steam I stop buying NIS games and wait for dirty cheap steam sales. Guess I am the minority, but Atlus get their fan base right for not going steam and devalue all the games.

 

[Producer]

More like no thanks to steam, I always but physical copies of NIS, mostly collector edition too. Now that everything is on steam I stop buying NIS games and wait for dirty cheap steam sales. Guess I am the minority, but Atlus get their fan base right for not going steam and devalue all the games.

Its funny you mention Atlus and devaluing since they put their games on sale all the time for super cheap even on eShop.

 

[GhostTrick]

More like no thanks to steam, I always but physical copies of NIS, mostly collector edition too. Now that everything is on steam I stop buying NIS games and wait for dirty cheap steam sales. Guess I am the minority, but Atlus get their fan base right for not going steam and devalue all the games.

Your comment makes no sense. How is that devaluating your game when you have total price control ? Is Steam the only place to have sales ? Wasn't Persona 4 Golden sold multiple times for under 9 dollars ?
I think the biggest sale NISA had on Steam was 33% off. That devaluation :")

 

[Cow Goes Moo]

Guess I am the minority, but Atlus get their fan base right for not going steam and devalue all the games.

what the fuck

 

[ShyMel]

Good to see increases in their profits.

 

[GloriousBagel]

thanks steam

Lmfao

Your comment makes no sense. How is that devaluating your game when you have total price control ? Is Steam the only place to have sales ? Wasn't Persona 4 Golden sold multiple times for under 9 dollars ?
I think the biggest sale NISA had on Steam was 33% off. That devaluation :")

Using a game from a pub that frequently puts their games on sale for under 10 dollars to fit your narrative haha what game also fits your narrative? Fez? Hahah

 

[GhostTrick]

Lmfao



Using a game from a pub that frequently puts their games on sale for under 10 dollars to fit your narrative haha what game also fits your narrative? Fez? Hahah

I don't understand your comment. What do you mean ? What fits my narrative ? That Atlus put a lot of their games on sale ? And sometimes at low prices ?

 

[DarkLordMalik]

Thanks Obama

Spoiler

Trump

Good for NIS. Do they give full separate result for their EU/NA division?

uh huh

the only one that did great numbers was Disgaea, and that was always successful

These are shit-tier numbers. Nowhere decent.

 

[GhostTrick]

Thanks Obama

Spoiler

Trump

Good for NIS. Do they give full separate result for their EU/NA division?

You'd have to look in the pdf in OP. Although.. Well.. It's in Japanese.

These are shit-tier numbers. Nowhere decent.

Except for Disgaea, these are NIS tier numbers. I don't know what your expectations are in term of NIS game sales (especially for older ports), but I feel like you may overestimate them.

 

[Granjinha]

More like no thanks to steam, I always but physical copies of NIS, mostly collector edition too. Now that everything is on steam I stop buying NIS games and wait for dirty cheap steam sales. Guess I am the minority, but Atlus get their fan base right for not going steam and devalue all the games.

lol

you definitely are in the vast huge imense minority

Thanks Obama

Spoiler

Trump

Good for NIS. Do they give full separate result for their EU/NA division?


These are shit-tier numbers. Nowhere decent.

strangely they keep porting stuff

they must like shit-tier numbers

 

[Lord of Ostia]

More like no thanks to steam, I always but physical copies of NIS, mostly collector edition too. Now that everything is on steam I stop buying NIS games and wait for dirty cheap steam sales. Guess I am the minority, but Atlus get their fan base right for not going steam and devalue all the games.

Um...everything isn't on Steam that NISA publishes nor that NIS develops, first of all. Second, if you are the type of person that buys collector's editions, why are you just buying them cheap on Steam instead? I mean, you can do what you want but that doesn't make sense at all.

Also, lol @ your suggestion that being on Steam devalues their games somehow. You can buy Disgaea as a PS2 Classic on PS3 for $5. The game launched on Steam at $20 and sold nearly 100k. If anything, Steam is adding value to their back catalog.

 

[cress2000]

More like no thanks to steam, I always but physical copies of NIS, mostly collector edition too. Now that everything is on steam I stop buying NIS games and wait for dirty cheap steam sales. Guess I am the minority, but Atlus get their fan base right for not going steam and devalue all the games.

Less options = good for fans. A cool lesson I learned today.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Congrats on the newfound success.

 

[Momentary]

People are saying STEAM is devaluing their games when none of them have had anything outside of launch discounts or 33% off? Doesn't make much sense. On top of that, 10,000+ sales for titles that are old and have minimal costs to port is not bad. I don't understand the thought process of some people. Usually I just imagine angsty kids who don't really have an idea of what they are talking about and it helps me shrug off most of these comments.

 

[Nozomi]

People are saying STEAM is devaluing their games when none of them have had anything outside of launch discounts or 33% off? Doesn't make much sense. On top of that, 10,000+ sales for titles that are old and have minimal costs to port is not bad. I don't understand the thought process of some people. Usually I just imagine angsty kids who don't really have an idea of what they are talking about and it helps me shrug off most of these comments.

Everything boils down to the lost feeling of exclusivity.

 

[Kumubou]

These are shit-tier numbers. Nowhere decent.

How many copies do you expect a game like Yomiwari or Stranger of Sword City to move, especially at those prices? Keep in mind that these are games that don't really break 15k LTD in Japan at retail, so doing ~10k on Steam (especially with Stranger of Sword City never going below $30) with digital margins is almost certainly going to meet (if not exceed) expectations, and has already added a couple hundred thousand worth of marginal revenue, which is more than fine when you're probably paying 1-2 people max to do the port. That and now the possibilities of back catalog revenue are very real and can bring additional revenue for years.

Not every game needs to move ten million copies to be successful.

 

[Grim Patron]

Good. Bring on more NIS titles.

Also the only thing scarier than yomawari is their steam sales numbers.

 

[AniHawk]

stranger of sword city did a nice job at its price point. it went on sale frequently, but it was $10 off a $39.99 price point. that's somewhere at $300k in revenue. it's also a title they can discount more steeply than something like disgaea pc or yomawari going forward, so it will probably have some legs.

ray gigant came out a couple months later at $29.99. it's sitting at around half of stranger.

as for their other stuff, the only poor ones are phantom brave pc and firefly diary. those haven't gone on sale as steeply as they probably should have. firefly should be at $4.99 and going on sale for $0.99 or something like that. phantom brave has a demo and reviewed extremely well, but didn't catch on the same way as disgaea pc. despite that, it probably made back its budget in porting at least, so it's all profit from here on out. cladun and clan of champions are years old and not representative of their current push.

 

[Nozomi]

Good. Bring on more NIS titles.

Also the only thing scarier than yomawari is their steam sales numbers.

Considering Yomawari isnt even a month out on steam and sold only 48.000 copies in japan i dont see any problems with these numbers.

I allways have the feeling that some people here think these kind of games are million sellers on console and are doing poorly on steam.

 

[Parakeetman]

Im surprised they didnt mention Coven since it apparently was a sleeper hit here with how once folks found out it was good the game was missing from shelves and online retailers for a fair amount of time.