DeNA Co. swung back to profitability in the first nine months of the fiscal year, powered by the success of its new Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket mobile app. The Tokyo-based company reported net income of 15.75 billion yen ($106 million) for the April-December period, compared with a 31.23 billion yen loss a year earlier.
Sales rose 12% to 116.73 billion yen, largely driven by the gaming division, which saw revenue jump 29% to 50.58 billion yen. The Pokemon mobile game, released in October, helped the gaming unit’s profit surge to 21.03 billion yen.
While the gaming segment flourished, the company’s live streaming business struggled, with revenue dropping 5% and posting a small loss. The sports division, which includes the Yokohama DeNA BayStars baseball team, increased revenue by 12% after the team won both the Central League Climax Series and Japan Series championships.
DeNA withheld its full-year forecast, citing difficulties in making reasonable projections, particularly due to uncertainty around the Pokemon game’s performance. However, management indicated they expect both revenue and operating profit to exceed the previous year’s results.
