Paris, February 12, 2015 Today, Ubisoft released its sales figures for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2014.
Sales
Sales for the third quarter of 2014-15 came to 809.7 million, up 55.8% (or 49.5% at
constant exchange rates) compared with the 519.7 million recorded for third-quarter 2013-14.
For the first nine months of fiscal 2014-15, sales totaled 1,293.9 million versus 813.0 millionin the corresponding prior-year period, representing an increase of 59.2% (or 58.3% at constant exchange rates).
The third-quarter sales figure was higher than the target of approximately 730 million
announced when Ubisoft released its first-half 2014-15 results. This performance reflects:
-A sharp increase in market share to 12.8% for 2014 (from 9.6% in 2013).
- A very good performance delivered by the two Assassins Creed® opuses, Far Cry® 4
and The Crew®, with respective sales of 10 million, 7 million and 2 million units (sellin):
- Far Cry 4 was voted Best Shooter at "The Games Awards 2014".
- Assassins Creed Unity won the prize for best Character Animation in a Video
Game at the Annie Awards.
- To date, The Crew has recorded the best sales for the racing games released in
late 2014.
- A solid showing from Just Dance® with 4 million units sold (sell-in).
- The continued success of Watch Dogs®, with 10 million units sold (sell-in) since its
release. Watch Dogs is the biggest launch ever of a new IP in the EMEA region and the
second largest launch in the United States.
- A 157.0% surge in digital segment revenues to 138.0 million in the third quarter. For
the first nine months of 2014-15, revenues generated by the digital segment came to
274.1 million, up 120.3% year on year, and representing 21.2% of Ubisofts total
sales compared with 15.3% in the same period of 2013-14.
- A robust 25.9% increase in back-catalog sales to 67.1 million in the third quarter. For
the first nine months of the fiscal year, back-catalog sales rose 6.1% to 181.9 million.
Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer, said "In 2014, Ubisoft offered gamers the most
diversified line-up in the industry, with titles such as Assassins Creed Unity, Child of Light, Far Cry 4, Just Dance 2015, The Crew, Trials Fusion and Frontier, Valiant Hearts and Watch Dogs.This uniquely varied offering was also recognized for its overall quality. As a result we achieved a third-quarter performance that was well above target and we expect to generate a record level of free cash flow for 2014-15. We are now capitalizing on the investments we have made over the past several years to further develop our creative strengths, boost our marketing impact and extend our digital footprint. Our performance is all the more impressive given that it is wholly the result of Ubisofts teams. Each of these successful games was developed by our in-house studios and we own our brands, which means that our destiny is in our own hands and we are internalizing the value created for our shareholders.
Yves Guillemot concluded by saying "2015-16 should see a return to growth in the consoles market, in a more competitive games environment and with a substantial installed base for both Xbox One and PLAYSTATION 4. Against this backdrop, Ubisoft will be offering an exceptional line-up and we intend to drive player engagement further through high-potential live services for our games across consoles, PC and mobile."
Outlook
Sales for the fourth quarter of 2014-15
Ubisoft expects fourth-quarter 2014-15 sales to amount to approximately 146.0 million, down by approximately 25% compared with the fourth quarter of 2013-14, which saw the release of South ParkTM The Stick of TruthTM.
Full-year 2014-15
Ubisoft has raised its sales and non-IFRS operating income targets for full-year 2014-15. The sales target is now approximately 1,440 million (versus the previous target of at least 1,400 million) and the new non-IFRS operating income target is approximately 165 million (compared with the previous target of at least 150 million). In addition, the Group expects Free Cash Flow generation to reach more than 150 million.
Full-year 2015-16 Ubisoft is standing by its target for non-IFRS operating income to reach at least 200 million.
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