Ubisoft Releases Q3 Sales; Assassin’s Creed 2, I Am Alive, and More in 2009-10
Ubisoft issued an earnings release this morning for its third quarter 2008-09, which ended December 31. The Paris-based publisher enjoyed a sales increase of about 13% to 508 million euro during its Q3, compared to the previous year’s 450 million euro. Ubi had an anticipated guidance of 500 million euro in sales.
Ubisoft Montreal’s open-world African shooter Far Cry 2 sold 2.9 million units world wide across all platforms since its release in late October, while the newest entry in its long-running Prince of Persia franchise sold 2.2 million units since early December, which the company classified as a “slower take-off” than expected. Shaun White Snowboarding and Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party sold 2.3 million and 2.9 million copies worldwide, respectively.
By geographic region, 55% of Ubisoft’s sales came from Europe, 40% from North America, and 5% from the rest of the world during Q3. Its Nintendo DS titles were responsible for 26% of the company’s total sales during the quarter, while the Xbox 360 accounted for 24%, the PlayStation 3 for 22%, the Wii for 18%, and the PC for 7%.
Looking ahead to Q4, which runs from January to March of 2009, Ubisoft anticipates it will release Tom Clancy’s HAWX for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC and Tom Clancy’s EndWar for the PC, in addition to new casual titles in its Imagine and Petz franchises. It will also also act as publisher to World in Conflict: Soviet Assault, a PC expansion to Massive Entertainment’s 2007 hit strategy title. Ubisoft anticipates it may face up to a 12% decrease in sales this quarter, compared to the same period last year. The next quarterly earnings report will be released on April 23.
Additionally, the company’s secretive I Am Alive survival game, which was previously slated for a March release, may not be available before 2010. The company says simply “further development time” is needed.
Finally, the company outlined several of its high-profile anticipated releases for its upcoming fiscal year, which begins this April and runs until March 2010. Ubisoft looks to release Assassin’s Creed 2, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, and a new Ghost Recon title, in addition to launching several new brands, including I Am Alive and two others. The company will also be releasing a game based on James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar and a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s title.