Quest

株式会社Aiming 第13期第3四半期四半期報告書

Aiming Inc. provides this quarterly report for the third quarter of the 13th fiscal year, covering the period from July 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023.

Plus: Risk of Rain Returns, Football Manager Go Out Huge!

This analysis examines the performance of recent video game launches and provides a forward-looking assessment of upcoming releases across major digital platforms, including Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Meta Quest.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III dominated the market, topping console sales charts and seeing Steam concurrent users (CCU) surge from 40,000 to 180,000 at launch despite mixed critical reviews.
• Football Manager 2024 maintained its annual market dominance with 78,500 CCU, while Risk of Rain Returns achieved a strong debut of 45,000 CCU, driven by a 93.5% player overlap with its predecessor.
• Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name reached a franchise-record 12,500 CCU on Steam during its second week of November 2023 release window.

COLOPL FY Sep.2023 4Q Financial Results

COLOPL experienced a period of financial contraction during the fiscal year ending September 2023, characterized by annual sales of ¥30.9 billion and an operating profit of ¥2.8 billion.

• COLOPL reported FY2023 annual sales of ¥30.9 billion and an operating profit of ¥2.8 billion, representing year-over-year declines of 5.0% and 33.7%, respectively.
• Profitability was primarily impacted by elevated advertising expenditures for new title launches and recent impairment losses.
• Core revenue remains anchored by the performance of Dragon Quest Walk and Shironeko Project, both of which benefited from successful anniversary activations.

Cities: Skylines II Builds Its Playerbase Starting Next Week

Analysis of current and upcoming video game market performance reveals a landscape defined by high-profile sequels and a surge in regional hits.

• Cities: Skylines II is launching with significant market anticipation, evidenced by nearly 190,000 Steam followers and over two million wishlists, though developer warnings and mixed reviews indicate potential release volatility.
• Chinese-developed titles including Love Is All Around, Yog-Sothoth’s Yard, and Legendary Creatures 2 are outperforming many Western indie games in peak concurrent users, highlighting the growing influence of the Chinese market and regional pricing strategies.
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has rapidly secured the top position on PlayStation charts, while Madden NFL 24 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage continue to hold strong performance metrics on Xbox.

Microsoft’s Done Deal / Predicting Holiday Hits / When Will Layoffs End?

The gaming industry is currently navigating a significant strategic reset following the finalization of the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard acquisition.

• The Microsoft-Activision Blizzard acquisition marks a strategic shift away from mega-deals toward internal studio integration and operational efficiency.
• Macroeconomic pressures and the end of cheap capital have triggered widespread industry layoffs and the cancellation of long-term projects to focus on proven, high-performing titles.
• Future consolidation is expected to focus on smaller acquisitions and private equity-led streamlining, with EA and Capcom identified as potential targets for media conglomerates.

Life After FIFA: How EA Is Coping with the Loss of Its Brand Partner

Electronic Arts (EA) is navigating a significant strategic pivot following the termination of its nearly 30-year partnership with FIFA.

• The EA Sports soccer franchise accounts for approximately $18 billion of EA’s market capitalization and roughly 50% of its annual income, primarily driven by the Ultimate Team monetization model.
• EA ended its 30-year partnership with FIFA after the organization sought to double its annual licensing fee from $150 million to $300 million.
• By decoupling from FIFA, EA saves $150 million to $180 million in annual royalty payments, which the company is now reinvesting into marketing, technical development, and new non-endemic sponsorships with brands like Nike and PepsiCo.

Unity Divides: New Fee Structure Sparks Controversy

This analysis examines the shifting economic landscape of the video game industry, focusing on the controversy surrounding Unity’s 2024 "Runtime Fee" structure and the evolving platform strategies of Roblox and Apple.

• Unity’s new 'Runtime Fee' structure, which charges developers based on game installations rather than revenue, has caused its stock price to plummet from a 2021 peak of $197 to approximately $36.
• The shift toward aggressive rent-seeking by platform holders is driving developers toward alternative engines like Unreal, Godot, and GameMaker to avoid being locked into a single provider.
• Roblox is leveraging its 65.5 million daily active users to expand onto Meta Quest and PlayStation while utilizing generative AI to improve user retention.

Plus: Starfield Gets a Giant Start, Here Comes Fae Farm

Starfield’s multi-platform launch serves as the primary focus of this industry analysis, which tracks performance metrics across Steam, Xbox, and Game Pass.

• Bethesda’s Starfield reached six million players and one million concurrent users within its first 24 hours of full release.
• Starfield’s Steam performance peaked at 270,000 concurrent users, accounting for approximately 25% of the game's total player base.
• NBA 2K24 experienced polarized performance, with strong console engagement contrasted by negative PC reception due to a lack of technical upgrades.

Joining the $4B Club: Clash Royale Towers Above the Competition

Clash Royale has officially surpassed $4 billion in lifetime gross revenue, securing its place within an elite group of only 16 mobile games to reach this financial milestone.

• Clash Royale has surpassed $4 billion in lifetime gross revenue, becoming one of only 16 mobile games to reach this milestone.
• It took Clash Royale 92 months to reach the $4 billion mark, a duration significantly longer than top-tier performers like Genshin Impact (26 months) and PUBG Mobile (32 months).
• The game demonstrates strong long-term monetization, evidenced by a single-quarter performance of $160 million in Q4 2021.

Plus: The Fourteen Big Steam Releases of the Week

The primary focus of this analysis is the significant surge in high-performing Steam releases during the third week of August 2023, alongside a broader evaluation of current console and VR market trends.

• The third week of August 2023 saw a significant surge in market competition, with 14 Steam titles reaching at least 2,000 concurrent users (CCU), up from nine and three in the two preceding weeks.
• Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is the most anticipated upcoming release, currently tracking over 132,000 followers on Steam.
• HoloCure: Save The Fans led the week's performance with 45,000 CCU, followed by Wayfinder at 22,000 CCU and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre at 16,000 CCU.

Financial Results for the First Quarter of the Fiscal Year Ending March 2024

Koei Tecmo Holdings reported financial results for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2024, revealing a period of transition characterized by a shift toward mobile dominance and strategic investment.

• Koei Tecmo’s online and mobile sector achieved record quarterly sales of 10.9 billion yen, a 31.7% year-over-year increase driven by the launch of Dragon Quest Champions.
• Total sales for the quarter reached 18.3 billion yen, a 1.9% decrease year-over-year, while operating profit fell 35.6% to 7.5 billion yen due to rising employment and subcontracting costs.
• Ordinary profit rose 61.6% to 14.7 billion yen, primarily bolstered by non-operating income generated from the sale of marketable securities.

Which Games Got Most Steam Hyped for the Rest of 2023?

Anticipation for the remainder of 2023 on Steam is dominated by a mix of high-budget sequels and viral multiplayer titles.

• Starfield, Payday 3, and Party Animals are the most anticipated upcoming Steam releases for the remainder of 2023, based on a proprietary Hype score derived from over 16,000 unreleased titles.
• Sea of Stars and Payday 3 are demonstrating the highest wishlist velocity, indicating stronger pre-launch momentum than games relying solely on follower counts.
• Market trends show a divergence where AAA action titles like Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen are positioned for PC and console crossover, while simulation and roguelite games like Cities: Skylines II and Endless Dungeon remain PC-centric.