Capcom has had a rough few years. As we distance ourselves from the fiscal year, which ended in March 2013, the company is slowly revealing the troubles encountered over the past few months. Most notably, profit forecasts have been more than halved from ¥6.5bn to ¥2.9bn. While I’m no business expert, this still translates to a reduction of $36.7 million, and the sticker shock alone there is jaw-dropping.
What does Capcom blame for this reduction? According to GamesIndustry.biz, the main culprit is “excessive outsourcing.” Capcom has cancelled a number of current projects because of this, in hopes of shifting its focus back to in-house development. A “delayed response to the shift to digital media” is also listed as a key misstep. Mix these philosophical problems with concrete numbers regarding Resident Evil 6 and DmC: Devil May Cry, both of which have failed to meet expectations, and it looks like Capcom is in a whole mess of trouble.
But, they have a plan. At the forefront of this plan is higher quality games through in-house development. Capcom also hopes to focus more on digital sales, and have better communication between marketing and development teams. It’s always tough to predict how situations like this will play out, but here’s hoping Capcom succeeds.
What do you think the future holds for Capcom? Let us know in the comments below.