Month: May 2015

Capcom, as large corporations go, is pretty forthcoming when it comes to divulging financial details. As such, they recently released a report to investors describing their operations during the Japanese fiscal year that ended on March 31, and it includes some pretty interesting facts about their income.

At first, it’s a little startling. Capcom’s revenue last year was the lowest it’s been since 2004, a fact pointed out by GameSpot, but as you read on things start to become a bit clearer. As the developer only released a handful of titles throughout the fiscal year, it only makes sense that their revenue would drop accordingly. But thanks to cost-cutting procedures and improvements in efficiency, the company was able to post a rather strong net income of ¥6,616 million JPY (~$55 million USD), nearly doubling that of the previous fiscal year.

In addition to successes with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Resident Evil Revelation 2’s episodic content, Capcom pointed out solid sales for Ultra Street Fighter IV as another key asset to their business, thanks in part to the series’ continued popularity across the globe.

With more operating income and a partnership with Sony in the works for Street Fighter V, things are starting to look up over at Capcom after recent declines. And while their continued success is no longer as integral a part of keeping the fighting game community strong, thanks to renewed efforts by developers like Arc System Works and NetherRealm Studios, it would certainly be a shame to see their iconic franchise go missing again.

For a full look at Capcom’s financial report, be sure to visit their investor relations portal.

Source: Capcom via GameSpot

In Mortal Kombat X, NetherRealm Studios has given players a great mix of veterans and newcomers to mess around with. From fan favorites like Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Reptile to a new generation made up of Cassie Cage, Jacqueline Briggs, and Kung Jin, everyone is sure to find a fighter they enjoy in this new title.

To show off who folks have been gravitating to over the past few weeks, Warner Bros. put out a rather spiffy infographic detailing the top characters by usage and win percentage as well as a plethora of other details regarding fatalities, time spent playing online, and more.

The most used characters are far from a surprise, as Scorpion (who also serves as NetherRealm’s de facto mascot), Sub-Zero, and Raiden have been playable in just about every Mortal Kombat installment since the series debuted in 1992. Furthermore, with such a long history, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say fans have become quite familiar with their signature attacks, most of which have survived various transitions between games and platforms.

The cast members with the highest win percentages are much different. While a few, like Goro, Kano, and Jax, have had frequent playable appearances through the decades, Shinnok–who sits alone at the top–has had only one before Mortal Kombat X. Additionally, his counterpart in third-place, D’Vorah, is a completely new addition to the roster. With their unfamiliar movesets, it’s interesting to see that players have been finding greater success using these characters online.

Of course, due to the lack of concrete data, a completely opposite explanation is also possible: folks are beating down the likes of Scorpion and Sub-Zero thanks to knowledge of their capabilities built up over years of Mortal Kombat experience and find themselves lacking against the other, relatively unknown quantities.

Whatever you want to make of this information is up to you, but it’s still pretty neat to see how the community is reacting to this new title. For a full look at the infographic, be sure to visit WB Games.

Source: WB Games