TakaraTomy to boost game software sales in U.S., Europe

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Toymaker Tomy Co plans to strengthen marketing strategies for home-use game software in the United States and Europe, targeting overseas sales of 6 billion yen in fiscal 2010, company officials said Friday.

To achieve the target, the company, better known as TakaraTomy, has established its first overseas development center in the United States and will promote direct marketing, the officials said.

The targeted overseas game software sales, up from the current several hundred million yen, break down into 5 billion yen in the United States and one billion yen in Europe, they said.

In the United States, TakaraTomy has set up a development section at its American subsidiary Tomy Corp, based in Santa Ana, California, to create software for home video game machines including those of Nintendo Co.

The U.S. subsidiary plans to launch game software featuring TakaraTomy’s original characters such as “Licca-chan” dress-up dolls and “Choro-Q” miniature cars in fiscal 2009 or later.

In addition, the company will start direct sales to retailers in 2009 in a shift from sales through agents, according to the officials.

In Europe, meanwhile, TakaraTomy will set up a sales division specialized in household game software at its British subsidiary, Tomy UK Ltd, based in Sutton, and will start marketing to European sales agents, the officials said.