If you needed any more proof that PC gaming is alive and well, Sega’s recent financial report shows just how much Company of Heroes 2 helped the publisher. The long-anticipated PC exclusive pushed 380,000 copies in Europe and the US in its five days of availability during Sega's first financial quarter ending June 30, acting as the final push Sega’s consumer business needed to turn at least a small profit in the first quarter of the year.
The strategy title didn’t do it without a little bit of help from its friends, though. During the three months that comprise this quarter, Sega's consumer business segment, which houses video games, generated net sales of 18.9 billion yen (£127m / $193m), which is up from 15.1 billion yen for the same period last year. This same segment also managed to make a small profit of 39 million yen (£262,000 / $399,000), compared to a 1.6 billion yen (£10.7m / $16.4m) loss a year earlier.
Sega’s report continues to show a trend in the industry where digital sales are beginning to overtake those of packaged software. Physical sales declined from 2.76 million units a year earlier to 1.21 million, with 570,000 boxed games sold in Europe, 370,000 in the US and 250,000 in Japan. On the other hand, the digital business saw a great deal of success, with performance remaining "favorable" on games for smartphones and PC. It’s not exactly a quarter Sega will brag about for years to come, but it’s hard to argue with a profit.
