Net income for the third quarter alone was slightly up from the year prior,? taking? ?¥7.7? ?billion for the three-month period.? ?That boosts its FY09? ?net income so far to just above? ?¥9? ?billion,? ?yet the publisher is still trailing last year’s performance by? ?38? ?percent.?
Namco Bandai expects the gap to widen too.? ?It forecasts that for the whole fiscal year net income will reach? ?¥13? ?billion,? ?a drop of? ?61? ?percent from last year’s performance.
Operating income enjoyed impressive year-on-year growth for the three months ended Dec? ?31? ?2008,? ?climbing up? ?33.5? ?percent from last year and accumulating? ?¥14.2? ?billion.? ?Again,? ?the third quarter gives a significant lift to Namco Bandai’s nine-month results? (?now at? ?¥19.8? ?billion?)?,? ?but compared to the last fiscal year the Japanese publisher has seen operating income fall by? ?23? ?percent.? ?The publisher expects to trail last year’s results by? ?28? ?percent by the time the fourth quarter ends.
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Gross profit for the three fiscal quarters reached ?113? ?billion,? ?down from last year., but the Japanese publisher? ?does not anticipate this six percent trail to significantly lengthen.
Net sales completed the picture:? ?up? ?2.3? ?percent from the last third quarter,? ?though not enough to significantly lessen a three-quarter total fall of? ?6.1? ?percent?; ?now sitting at? ?¥315? ?billion for the nine months ended Dec? ?31? ?2008.