Bushiroad raised its forecast for the year to June 2027 after the Palworld Official Card Game opened above the company's expectations, and it has decided to expand a production line at a group factory in Malaysia.
The new guide
The company now expects sales of ¥71.0bn, against ¥58.0bn previously, a rise of 22.4%. Operating profit is guided to ¥6.6bn from ¥5.3bn, and profit attributable to owners of the parent to ¥5.1bn from ¥4.2bn. Bushiroad said the revision reflects launch results and a review of expected shipment volumes; the notice does not give those volumes. It also lifted its year-end dividend forecast to ¥4 a share, from ¥3: an unchanged ¥3 ordinary payout plus a ¥1 commemorative dividend for its 20th anniversary.
A record quarter, thinner profit
Sales in the quarter to September were ¥16.9bn, up 23.1% and a quarterly record, which the company attributes mainly to the card-game unit. That unit's sales were ¥10.1bn, up ¥3.17bn from a year earlier, a figure that includes royalties and related revenue; overseas sales made up 55.9% of its card shipment sales. Profit moved the other way: operating profit fell 7.3% to ¥1.5bn and net profit fell 34.4% to ¥1.09bn. The company's results presentation points to higher advertising and promotion spending for the Palworld cards and a new mobile game, plus a ¥261mn foreign-exchange loss.
The supply test
The presentation says worldwide shipments of the first two booster packs passed 11 million packs by early November. A third booster pack is scheduled for 30 January 2027, after two trial decks on 18 December. The revision notice says Bushiroad has decided to expand the Malaysian line; it gives no cost, output target or completion date. Bushiroad's forecast also assumes its BanG Dream mobile game, hit by unauthorized access at its September launch, contributes fully from the second quarter onward.