Japanese software developer Celsys reported a surge in profits for the first nine months of 2024, driven by strong sales of its digital art software CLIP STUDIO PAINT, even as total revenue slightly declined.
Net income jumped to ¥1.22 billion ($8.1 million) in the January-September period, while operating profit rose 74% to ¥1.61 billion ($10.7 million). Overall sales dipped 2.5% to ¥6.03 billion ($40.2 million) following the divestment of its UI/UX business.
The company’s core content creation solutions unit, which develops digital art and animation software, saw sales climb 20% to ¥5.24 billion ($34.9 million). The March release of CLIP STUDIO PAINT version 3.0 boosted both domestic and international markets, while price adjustments for subscriptions and one-time purchases improved margins.
However, the content distribution division continued to struggle, posting a ¥522 million ($3.5 million) operating loss as development costs weighed on performance.
Celsys maintained its full-year outlook, forecasting net income to more than double to ¥1.34 billion ($8.9 million) on sales of ¥8.09 billion ($53.9 million).
