We would like to thank you for joining Capcom Co., Ltd.'s financial results presentation for the fiscal year ended March 31st, 2026. We will now begin the presentation. I am Satoshi Miyazaki, Executive Vice President of Capcom. Thank you for attending Capcom's financial results briefing today. I will go over earnings for the fiscal year ended March 2026, and the plan for the fiscal year ending March 2027. First, an overview of our earnings for the March 2026 fiscal year. Last year, net sales were JPY 195.3 billion, operating profit JPY 75.2 billion, and net profit JPY 54.5 billion, representing year-on-year sales and profit growth and beating our guidance. This was the 13th consecutive year of operating profit growth and the 11th consecutive year of operating profit growth exceeding 10%. Regarding dividends, we raised the year-end dividend to JPY 25 for an annual dividend of JPY 45.
For the fiscal year ending March 2027, we're aiming for our 12th consecutive year of 10% or better operating profit growth. We plan for net sales of JPY 210 billion, up 8%, operating profit of JPY 83 billion, up 10%, and net profit of JPY 58 billion, up 6%. Regarding dividends, we plan for JPY 23 at midterm and JPY 23 at year-end, totaling JPY 46 for the full year. I will go over earnings for the fiscal year ended March 2026 in detail. Sales and profit grew across all business segments. In Digital Content, strong sales of major new titles and catalog titles resulted in net sales of JPY 144.2 billion, up 15%, and operating profit of JPY 70.6 billion, up 8%. The operating margin was about 48%. Total unit sales were 59.07 million units, driven especially by growth in catalog titles. By title, Resident Evil Requiem performed well.
In addition, promotions timed with its launch drove catalog sales growth of the Resident Evil series. Further, catalog sales of Devil May Cry 5 and Street Fighter series grew via pricing strategies, combined with increased IP awareness from video content and esports. In arcade operations, we opened nine new locations, including our first directly operated overseas store, Capcom Store Taipei, bringing the total number of stores to 61. Same-store sales were up 8% due to steady operations with an operating margin of about 12%. As a result, net sales rose 13% to JPY 25.6 billion, and operating profit rose 32% to JPY 3.2 billion. In amusement equipments, we released Devil May Cry 5, Stylish Tribe, and Shin Onimusha 3. Also, high-margin repeat sales of Monster Hunter Rise and Resident Evil 5 performed well. Total unit sales were 45,000 with an operating margin of about 56%.
Net sales rose 14% to JPY 17.7 billion. Operating profit rose 50% to JPY 10 billion. For other businesses, in esports, we held our official global tournament for Street Fighter 6 at Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena, attracting a large audience. In the media sub-segment, Devil May Cry was distributed on Netflix, contributing to increased IP awareness. Through collaborations and events leveraging popular IP, net sales rose 25% to JPY 7.6 billion. Operating profit rose 47% to JPY 3.6 billion. The operating margin was about 47%. This ends my presentation explanation of earnings for the fiscal year ended March 2026. Next, I will explain our plan. For the fiscal year ending March 2027, we will continue to target 10% or better operating profit growth in line with our medium-term management goal. In the Digital Contents Business, we aim to expand global earnings with new title launches and growth in catalog sales.
Pragmata" released in April this year, as an all-new IP, has received high acclaim from users and has sold 2 million units in 16 days after release. Currently, we also plan to release "Onimusha: Way of the Sword," the latest title in the series. We're planning net sales of JPY 152.2 billion, up 6%, and operating profit of JPY 79.5 billion, up 13%. We plan total unit sales of 65 million units, representing a 10% increase, which includes both new and catalog titles. In the arcade operations business, we will continue stable operations at existing stores while expanding new store formats centered on merchandising and prize games. We plan to open nine new stores. We anticipate net sales of JPY 29.3 billion, up 14%, and operating income of JPY 3.3 billion, up 3%. In amusement equipment, we plan to introduce one new machine per quarter using popular IPs.
Following the launch of "Biohazard 3" in May, we plan to release three additional models targeting total unit sales of 53,000 units. We plan for net sales of JPY 20.9 billion, up 18%, and operating income of JPY 10.4 billion, up 4%. In other businesses, to further expand the global reach of our IPs, we will continue to develop our character sub-segment through merchandise and in-game collaborations. In esports, we will once again hold Capcom Cup 13 at Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena, and we're also planning the release of a live-action "Street Fighter" movie in October this year. Through these initiatives, we will further promote our Single Content Multiple Usage strategy. We plan for net sales of JPY 7.6 billion and operating income of JPY 3.5 billion. This concludes my part of the presentation. President Tsujimoto will discuss the company's medium to long-term strategy. President Tsujimoto, please begin.
I am Haruhiro Tsujimoto, President of Capcom. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us today. I will now explain our medium to long-term strategy. Under our management philosophy of being the creator of entertainment culture that aims to develop software content that excites and stimulates the senses, we aim to realize our vision of becoming a company that captivates people around the world with our best-in-class immersive content. Based on this philosophy and vision, we have set 10% operating income growth every fiscal year as our medium-term management goal. We have achieved 10% or better growth for 11 consecutive fiscal years, we continue targeting it going forward. This is an image of our profit growth toward achieving this target. Our growth is driven by two key pillars, sales strategy and IP strategy.
At the core is the consumer business, shown in blue, which is linked with growth in other areas through IP expansion as we work to expand earnings for the entire group. Here is the outlook for the game market of our consumer business. The market is expected to continue growing long-term and is projected to reach $227 billion or approximately ¥36 trillion by 2028. Our primary PC and console game users are estimated at around 1.5 billion people, and even considering our unit sales of approximately 59 million units in the previous fiscal year, we believe there is still significant room to grow more.
Based on this market, I will now explain the business model that will support our future growth. We operate a flywheel-driven business model in which we expand IP value starting from game development and connect those results to further growth in sales. On the sales strategy side, shown on the right, we steadily develop high-quality games and expand global sales via digital distribution. By leveraging sales data, we carry out strategic pricing and marketing, increase catalog sales, and expand our user base. Further, with our Single Content Multiple Usage strategy on the left, we increase IP awareness and expand our global fan base. Feedback from users is reflected in future game development, enabling sustainable expansion of those sales and IP value. The foundation of this cycle is growing our major IP franchises. The Resident Evil series surpassed 200 million units in cumulative sales in the fiscal year ended March 2026.
We will also continue to expand other IP with new titles, remakes, and releases on new platforms, aiming to increase awareness. Digital sales are the core of our growth and earning stability. Long-term, we are aiming for 100 million units in annual sales. Using our sales data, we will continue strategic pricing and promotions for each title. Currently, catalog titles account for about 80% of total unit sales, and since most of these have been fully amortized, they generate high margins. This is a key strength enabling stable growth even in a volatile industry. Now, this map shows the countries and regions where sales are expanding. We are currently selling into 244 countries and regions, and we will further enhance our regional data analysis capabilities and expand sales in markets with high growth potential. By area, developed markets have the largest share of sales.
However, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East are showing high growth. We will focus on further sales growth in these areas with economic growth potential. Under our IP strategy, we use each IP across multiple businesses to increase their overall value. Video content, in particular, is highly effective as it can directly convey the world of the game. Starting yesterday, season 2 of the animated Devil May Cry series began streaming exclusively on Netflix. Also, we plan to release the live-action Street Fighter movie in October. These activities will further strengthen our media expansion while we work to acquire new fans. This graph shows how expanding our non-consumer businesses is linked to game sales growth. This shows how the flywheel of our sales and IP strategies has enabled long-term sales.
For example, Resident Evil 7, released in the fiscal year ended March 2017, sold 2.6 million units even in its 10th year, supported by promotions linked to the release of the latest titles in the series. By leveraging video content, sales of Devil May Cry 5 hit 2.7 million units even in its eighth year. By promoting esports, Street Fighter 6 hit two million units in its third year. We will continue to drive long-term sales with this growth cycle. Going forward, in addition to our three flagship IPs, we will also place other leading brands on this growth cycle to further expand sales. Supporting this flywheel-driven business model is our core strength: game development capabilities.
Since the fiscal year ended March 2014, when we shifted to in-house development, we have hired over 100 new graduates each year and have built a system in which experienced employees support younger talent. For example, "Pragmata," released last month to strong acclaim, was developed by a team led by younger employees with the support from seasoned staff. In addition to strengthening our development structure, we are also investing in our development environment, including the construction of the Capcom R&D Building Number three to accommodate workforce expansion. Improving efficiency and productivity in development is also essential. We are actively utilizing gen AI for routine tasks within the development process to achieve this. By doing so, we aim to create an environment in which creators can focus more on creative works that generates value. To execute our growth strategy, investment in human capital is a key management priority.
As part of strengthening recruitment, we revised our compensation system. Our average employee age is 38 with average annual income over JPY 10 million. We also aim to create a workplace where employees can perform to their fullest with peace of mind and look to achieve a male childcare leave usage rate of 85% or more and a gender wage gap ratio of 88% or more by the fiscal year ending March 2029. Lastly, I will explain our capital allocation policy. Our basic policy is to allocate cash generated from operations in a balanced manner between shareholders' returns, employee compensation, and reinvestment in the business. With regard to shareholder returns, we will continue to provide stable and continuous returns with a target dividend payout ratio of at least 30%. This concludes my presentation.
Under our growth strategy with the global digital sales in the consumer business as the core, we aim to achieve record high profit. Together with our employees, their families, and all stakeholders, we will continue to work as one to enhance corporate value. We appreciate your continued support.