Mad Catz Sees Q2 Decline On A Year Without Rock Band

Video game accessory maker Mad Catz reported decreased revenues and profits for its Q2 ending September 30, after unfavorable comps to last year's Rock Band 3 instrument sales. Revenues for the period were reported at $25.8 million, a 31 percent decrease from the $37.4 million reported during the same period one year ago. Profits decreased 29 percent during the period, from $10.5 million to $7.4 million. Though its lineup during the period did not compare favorably to its accessories for the then-new Rock Band 3, the decline was partially offset by the company's Tritton-branded headsets, its Cyborg R.A.T. gaming mice, and its line of accessories bearing official Gears of War 3 branding. "While we are disappointed with the sales in the second quarter when compared with sales from last year’s second quarter, we should keep in mind that sales for the quarter were on par with the second highest sales for the second quarter in Mad Catz’ history," said CEO and president Darren Richardson in a statement. "Although we improved sales of our increasingly important audio and PC products, these gains were more than offset by weakness in our video game products, as the revenue from Rock Band 3 product sales fell sharply." Going forward, the company will continue to invest in its own Tritton, Cyborg and Saitek brand names, which Richardson says "will help reduce our dependency on third party licenses and the seasonality of the business." The company recently made inroads into being a softwrae publisher and distributor: in addition to re-publishing Rock Band 3, Mad Catz also published the just-released Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge.