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Whether it's the Gunpla toys or its various anime and manga stories, the Gundam franchise has always made its mark on pop culture. Smash-hit anime series from recent years, such as the Iron-Blooded Orphans and The Witch From Mercury series, have helped keep it in the spotlight. However, the 2023 fiscal year appears to have been a truly exceptional year for the franchise, and not just for the high praise the aforementioned anime have received.
Bandai Namco Holdings announced on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, that its 2023 fiscal year saw record-breaking revenue for the IP. With more than a 25% rise in overall revenue from the year prior, it marks the most successful year for the Gundam franchise since its initial inception in 1979.
Bandai Namco in general also saw a massive rise in sales and growth profit, with the biggest coming from the “Amusement” sector.
Bandai Namco’s big financial year bolstered by Gundam franchise’s record-breaking 131.3 billion yen revenue
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The exact group-wide sales for the Gundam IP totaled 131.3 billion yen, which equates to roughly 9.75 billion US dollars. As mentioned above, this is well above a 25% increase in overall revenue from the prior fiscal year, which totaled 101.7 billion yen (or roughly 7.55 billion US dollars).
A March newsletter saw Bandai Namco Holdings president Masaru Kawaguchi specifically highlight The Witch From Mercury anime series for acquiring new fans among young people and women. Kawaguchi also pointed to the Aerial gunpla models as strong sellers, helping to provide a fantastic base for the intellectual property’s revenue.
Bandai Namco Holdings’ financial reports from the 2006 fiscal year and onward show that the IP’s sales have not always followed a linear curve. FY2009-FY2010 saw a dip in sales, as did FY2015 and FY2017-2018. However, the franchise has had remarkable growth since FY2020, also coinciding with the increase of Gunpla sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
60.5 billion yen (4.49 billion USD) of the aforementioned 131.3 billion came from the toys and hobby business, up from 44.2 billion yen (3.28 billion USD) for the previous year.
Bandai Namco also saw an overall 111.3% increase in sales and a 103.5% rise in gross profit. As mentioned above, the company’s “Amusement” sector saw the most growth in the 2023 fiscal year.
The franchise is currently releasing the second season of the aforementioned The Witch From Mercury anime series, which is receiving rave reviews just five episodes in. The franchise also recently announced a new spinoff manga series entitled Wearwolf, set to debut later this month in Kadokawa’s Gundam Ace magazine.
Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
