In context: For decades, Capcom primarily sold arcade and console games, but the company's sales have gradually shifted toward PC in recent years. Capcom's latest financial statement reveals that franchises such as Monster Hunter and Resident Evil continue to drive growth as they reach new sales milestones.
Capcom's fiscal report for the year ended March 31 shows that the company's PC game sales are widening their lead over consoles. Despite its origins in the arcade and console industries, Capcom has increased its focus on PC over the last few years.
The company sold over 51 million software units during the last fiscal year, a 13 percent leap over the previous year's 45.8 million. Of those, 28 million were digital PC games and 18 million were digital console games.
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Over the last few years, the shift between the two markets has been dramatic. Capcom sold almost twice as many digital console games as PC games in 2021 while stating its aim to attain a 50/50 split. The gap narrowed over the following two years until PC overtook digital console units last year and overall console units this year, comprising 54 percent of total sales.
With over 10 million units sold, Monster Hunter Wilds was the company's top performer despite launching only a month before the end of the fiscal period. The franchise was once primarily limited to Japanese PSP owners, but the latest entry joined Steam's all-time top-10 list for concurrent players mere hours after release.
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Residual sales from prior Monster Hunter and Resident Evil entries contributed significantly. Monster Hunter World sold another three million copies despite having launched seven years ago. With lifetime sales exceeding 21 million, it is the most successful title in Capcom's 46-year history. Another big success was the remake of Resident Evil 4, which recently cracked 10 million units.
Back catalog titles, which include older games on Steam sales and remasters of classics, will play a crucial role in the company's future. Recent releases include the first-ever PC port of Onimusha 2, which originally launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, and Capcom Fighting Collection 2, a bundle of beat em' ups never before available on modern platforms. Furthermore, Street Fighter 6 is part of the launch lineup for the Nintendo Switch 2, which hits store shelves next week on June 5.
Despite selling more units and targeting more users on PC, Capcom expects to earn slightly more revenue from the console market through 2027. Furthermore, mobile revenue is projected to dwarf both.