Bushiroad, Inc.

Bushiroad launched the Palworld Official Card Game worldwide on July 30 in three languages: Japanese, English, and Traditional Chinese. This marks the company's first trading card game to have a simultaneous global release. At the launch ceremony, the new SSS rarity was revealed, along with plans for a pop-up store in Akihabara. President Takaaki Kidani, who serves as producer, described it as a project two and a half years in the making. He noted that over 10,000 people have already participated in demo events at 400 stores worldwide, including 120 in Japan, and that number is expected to approach 20,000 by the end of August. The original Palworld game has seen a resurgence in popularity, with Steam concurrent players surpassing 960,000 following its official release, and a synergistic effect with the card game is anticipated.

On the Tokyo stock market on July 13, Bushiroad hit a year-to-date high. The company announced that global pre-registrations for its upcoming rhythm game "BanG Dream! Our Notes" have surpassed 700,000, which was seen as a positive factor. Meanwhile, the Nikkei average fell for the first time in three days, ending trading at 67,242.73 yen, down 1,315.00 yen from the previous day. Amid rising tensions in the Middle East and the triggering of circuit breakers in the South Korean market, the index at one point fell by more than 1,900 yen. Aeon Fantasy rebounded after four days of declines, as its first-quarter earnings announced late last week showed increases in both revenue and profit, which was well received.

On the morning of July 10, the Tokyo stock market saw buying dominance among gaming and entertainment-related stocks, with 61 of the 99 registered issues rising, or 62 percent, 28 falling, or 28 percent, and 10 unchanged, or 10 percent. Mirativ was flooded with buy orders and hit its daily limit-up bid, while Bushiroad, which is strengthening its overseas expansion, hit a new year-to-date high. The Nikkei Stock Average ended the morning session at 68,943.76, up 1,199.91 points from the previous trading day, with buying focused on AI and semiconductor-related stocks.

On the Tokyo stock market on July 7, game and entertainment-related stocks were predominantly bought, with 50 of the 99 registered issues rising. Bushiroad extended its winning streak to an eighth day, buoyed by the news that pre-registrations for its new smartphone game "BanG Dream! Our Notes" have surpassed 500,000. Celsys hit a year-to-date high on a dividend increase and strong monthly results, but ended in negative territory after being pushed down by profit-taking just before the close. The Nikkei Stock Average fell for a second day, dropping 1,480.73 yen to 68,256.96 yen, weighed down by a decline in South Korea's Samsung Electronics shares and weakness in U.S. Nasdaq futures.