The second quarter saw its share of fiscal headaches for many big-time publishers, with the likes of Capcom, Nintendo, and Activision all seeing revenues sink. However, a growing segment of publishers did make out well during the April-June period, including Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and, new to that list, Square Enix.

　　Dragon Quest Monsters 2 was no joker. Reporting on its three-month earnings today, Square Enix said revenues for the period came in at ¥32.54 billion ($382 million), an 11 percent year-over-year rise. The publisher also reversed its ¥1.672 billion ($19.6 million) loss from last year to post a ¥1.812 billion ($21.3 million) profit during the period. Of those sales, Square Enix's video game segment posted ¥16.63 billion ($195 million) in sales and an operating profit of ¥5.891 billion ($69.1 million).

　　In terms of new titles, Square Enix saw the biggest output from Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, which the publisher released for the DS to Japanese audiences in April. Through the end of the June quarter, the handheld monster-battling title sold 1.25 million units. Square Enix said other top performers during the period included Final Fantasy XIII and Just Cause 2, though the publisher did not provide updated sales figures for either.

　　Square Enix's arcade machine business also turned in a solid quarter. For the three months ended in June, Square Enix- and Taito-branded coin-ops brought in ¥10.98 billion ($129 million), with operating profit hitting ¥683 million ($8 million).

　　Looking ahead to its in-progress quarter, Square Enix has a crowded release slate. Later this month, the publisher will put out Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, both of which come from 2009 acquisition Eidos. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Front Mission Evolved, and Final Fantasy XIV will follow in September.