Square Enix FY26 Operating Profit Jumps 35% to ¥54.7 Billion as HD Games and IP Royalties Lift Margin to 18.4%

Revenue fell 8.3% to ¥297.7 billion as the FFXIV "Dawntrail" expansion lapping pulled MMO down, but operating profit jumped 34.9% to ¥54.7 billion and operating margin expanded to 18.4% from 12.5% on HD-game strength (FFT Ivalice Chronicles, DQ I&II, DQ VII Reimagined) and Rights/Property royalty growth (+85% segment OP). Net profit attributable to owners rose 21.3% to ¥29.6 billion. 1-for-3 stock split effective October 2025; FY27 guides ¥49bn OP on flat revenue.

Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. headquarters in Shinjuku, Tokyo Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. · Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime

Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE: 9684) reported consolidated full-year results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 (FY3/2026) under Japanese GAAP. Revenue fell 8.3% year-on-year to ¥297,661 million, but operating profit jumped 34.9% to ¥54,736 million — operating margin expanded to 18.4% from 12.5%. A ¥7.2 billion FX gain lifted ordinary profit by 57.5% to ¥64,469 million. After a ¥12.1 billion organizational-reform charge booked as an extraordinary loss, net profit attributable to owners rose 21.3% to ¥29,616 million. Basic EPS came in at ¥82.15 versus ¥67.79 (split-adjusted). ROE rose to 8.7% from 7.5%.

HD games strong: FFT Ivalice Chronicles, Dragon Quest I&II, DQ VII Reimagined

The Digital Entertainment segment — Square Enix's largest — saw revenue fall 16.3% to ¥172.9 billion but segment operating profit jumped 28.0% to ¥43.4 billion. Within Digital Entertainment, HD (high-definition console) games grew both top and bottom line, lifted by new releases of Final Fantasy Tactics — Ivalice Chronicles, Dragon Quest I & II remakes, and Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, plus catalog-title revenue above prior year. MMO fell both top and bottom line as FY25 was lapping the launch of FFXIV's "Dawntrail" expansion (a high-base comparison). Smart-device / PC browser revenue softened on weak legacy titles, but margin improved on payment-method diversification.

Rights & Property: OP +85% on IP royalty growth

The Rights & Property segment — licensing of Square Enix IP — was the standout: revenue rose 31.4% to ¥25.1 billion and segment operating profit jumped 85.2% to ¥11.2 billion, driven by major IP royalty income. Amusement (arcade operations + arcade-machine sales) revenue rose 1.3% to ¥72.1 billion with segment OP +13.1% to ¥8.9 billion as existing-store revenue and amusement-prize sales offset weaker arcade-machine sales. Publishing (comic magazines, game-related books) revenue fell 3.4% to ¥29.7 billion and segment OP fell 10.3% to ¥9.8 billion on weaker comic-volume sales.

Balance sheet: cash builds to ¥276 billion; 1-for-3 stock split executed

Total assets reached ¥438,018 million (+5.3%) with cash and deposits up ¥28.3 billion. Net assets rose 3.8% to ¥349,224 million and the equity ratio held at 79.6% (vs 80.7%). Book value per share rose to ¥966.63 (split-adjusted) from ¥931.75. Square Enix executed a 1-for-3 common-stock split effective October 1, 2025 (record date September 30, 2025) — all per-share figures shown are post-split. Issued shares rose from 122.5 million (pre-split) to 367.6 million (post-split). Operating cash flow strengthened 20.6% to ¥51.6 billion; investing cash flow consumed ¥6.2 billion (vs ¥15.1 billion); financing cash flow consumed ¥18.4 billion (vs ¥6.6 billion) on dividends. Period-end cash and equivalents reached ¥275.8 billion.

Dividend & FY27 guidance

The FY3/2026 annual dividend totals an effective ¥129 per share (¥54 interim + ¥25 year-end post-split = ¥75 final pre-split equivalent + ¥54 interim) with a 52.3% payout ratio and 4.5% DOE. For FY3/2027, the annual dividend is guided at ¥43 (¥18 interim + ¥25 year-end, post-split) for a 50.0% payout ratio. Full-year FY3/2027 guidance points to revenue of ¥298,000 million (+0.1%), operating profit of ¥49,000 million (-10.5%), ordinary profit of ¥49,000 million (-24.0%) as the FY26 FX gain doesn't recur, and net profit attributable to owners of ¥31,000 million (+4.7%) with EPS of ¥85.99.

Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. — FY3/2026 Key Financials (J-GAAP, consolidated)
MetricFY3/2026FY3/2025YoY
Revenue (¥ billion)297.7324.5-8.3%
Operating profit (¥ billion)54.740.6+34.9%
Ordinary profit (¥ billion)64.540.9+57.5%
Net profit attrib. to owners (¥ billion)29.624.4+21.3%
Basic EPS, split-adj. (¥)82.1567.79+21.2%
Operating margin18.4%12.5%+5.9pp
ROE8.7%7.5%+1.2pp
Digital Entertainment op. profit (¥ billion)43.433.9+28.0%
Rights & Property op. profit (¥ billion)11.26.1+85.2%
Amusement op. profit (¥ billion)8.97.9+13.1%
FY27 operating profit guidance (¥ billion)49.0-10.5%
FY27 net profit attrib. guidance (¥ billion)31.0+4.7%

JapanStockPulse provides informational content only and does not constitute investment advice. Figures are taken from the company's published earnings short report and may be subject to subsequent revision.