3DS games star as Namco sales rise 8.1%

Namco Bandai has posted a quarterly profit for the three months ended June 30, thanks in part to increased game sales during the period. The Japanese publisher's content division - which covers its game, network, visual and music operations - saw revenue rise 8.1 percent year-over-year to £283.4 million. It also generated operating income of £4.1 million, compared to a loss a year earlier.Namco sold just under 3.4 million games during the quarter, up from 3.15 million during the same period last year. Most titles were sold on PS3 (657,000), Xbox 360 (651,000) and 3DS (622,000).The company's top three titles were all for 3DS. Japanese releases One Piece Unlimited Cruse SP and Tales of the Abyss sold 170,000 copies and 150,000 units respectively, while US release Ridge Racer moved 90,000 copies.Company-wide, the firm swung from a loss in the first quarter last year to a net profit of £25.9 million, while sales rose 7.7 percent to £702.2 million. Tom Ivan