Konami slot division revenue up 4 pct to Dec 31

Feb 05, 2015 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Japan, Latest News  

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Konami Corp’s gaming and systems division on Thursday reported net revenue of JPY23.2 billion (US$197.8 million) for the nine months ended December 31, 2014, up by 4.2 percent in comparison with the prior-year period.

The Japanese conglomerate stated in is latest results that operating income from the gaming and systems division reached JPY4.1 billion, down 25.5 percent year-on-year.

“Sales of the Podium video slot machine continued to be favourable, mainly in the U.S. market,” the company said in a statement on Thursday. “Full-scale marketing is also in progress in Asia, Central and South America and Europe, where we are working on building distribution networks,” it added.

U.S.-based Konami Gaming Inc, a subsidiary of the Japanese entertainment conglomerate, has been investing heavily in games with an Asian appeal.

The Japanese company said it expanded its line-up of premium products in the North American market, by introducing Podium Goliath, “a larger size version of Podium … [which] is subject to a participation agreement (in which profits are shared with casino operators)”.

Besides casino slot gaming, the Japanese conglomerate is also involved in the Japan-focused pachinko game segment, digital entertainment – including video games and mobile games – and health and fitness.

Konami’s overall net revenue for the nine months ended December 31 stood at JPY155.9 billion, flat from a year earlier. Net income rose by 36.7 percent year-on-year, to JPY6.9 billion.

“The business environment surrounding the Konami group showed signs of slow recovery, including rises in stock prices and improvement in a segment of corporate earnings in Japan,” the company said.

Konami last year announced it would delist from the New York Stock Exchange in April 2015. The company plans to maintain its listings on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.

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