CyberAgent’s latest financial results make one thing pretty clear: Umamusume: Pretty Derby is no longer just a Japan-side otaku phenomenon.
The Japanese entertainment group reported a profitable period for the second half of its fiscal year ending March 2026, and its gaming business was one of the standout performers. According to the company’s results, the games division posted a 106.3% year-on-year increase in operating profit, reaching 38.6 million yen. Revenue also climbed 47.4% year-on-year to 132.2 million yen.
Company president Takahiro Yamauchi pointed to two major drivers: anniversary in-game events and overseas expansion. The big headline for fans outside Japan is that CyberAgent’s overseas game sales apparently grew 3.5 times year-on-year, with Umamusume: Pretty Derby playing a major role in that jump.
For Malaysian and SEA anime-game fans, this is the part worth paying attention to. Umamusume has always had a very specific appeal: idol culture, horse racing history, character collecting, training sim grind, and gacha-style live service energy all mashed together. That kind of combo can feel super niche on paper, but the global response suggests there is a serious audience outside Japan for games that keep their Japanese flavour instead of over-smoothing everything for international markets.
That matters because SEA players are already very comfortable with anime mobile games, rhythm games, gacha systems, and long-term character investment. Malaysia especially has the audience for this — the same crowd that follows seasonal anime, spends on merch, watches VTubers, and checks Discord whenever a new banner drops. If Umamusume’s global push keeps working, publishers may become more confident in bringing similarly Japan-heavy titles to this region with proper localisation and support.
CyberAgent also linked part of the momentum to Umamusume: Cinderella Gray, the anime adaptation connected to the wider franchise. The series has been recognised strongly by anime fans, including winning Anime of the Year alongside other awards at the 12th Anime Trending Awards. That kind of cross-media loop is exactly why franchises like Umamusume can become so sticky: the game feeds the anime, the anime feeds the fandom, and the fandom keeps the game alive.
Beyond Umamusume, CyberAgent’s briefing also highlighted GOODROID, the Japanese mobile studio under its umbrella. GOODROID has released 81 games overseas, and its titles passed 600 million downloads last February. The studio also published Bus Rush Fever!, a new mobile title developed internally by hyper-casual studio Pawars.
Looking ahead, Yamauchi said CyberAgent is building a setup to keep its existing games running long-term while also developing new titles that can become medium-term hits. Two projects were specifically mentioned: pre-registration for QualiArts’ upcoming hololive Dreams mobile rhythm game is reportedly moving along well, while expectations are also high for Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok, the upcoming expansion from Cygames.
The bigger read here is simple: anime-linked games are still money when the execution is strong. Umamusume’s rise overseas shows that global players do not always need a franchise to be watered down before they care. Sometimes, the niche stuff works because it is niche — provided the characters, translation, lore respect, and live service support are there.
For SEA fans, that is good news. More global success for titles like Umamusume could mean more anime games treating international markets as core audiences instead of afterthoughts. And if Malaysia gets better access, better pricing visibility, and proper community support out of that? Memang win.
Source: Automaton Media