Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Ubisoft First Quarter FY16 Results See Big Jump In Digital Sales
Ubisoft has announced the results from its first quarter of the 2016 fiscal year. Sales were down year-over-year, but exceeded expectations thanks to high catalog sales.
Sales revenue for the quarter was down 73.2 percent, dropping from €360.1 million ($397.1 million) to €96.6 million ($106.5 million). This was largely due to the absence of a major title in the quarter, compared to the release of Watch Dogs in the same period the year before.
However, sales exceeded targets of €80 million ($88.2 million) with Far Cry 4, The Crew, and Assassin’s Creed Unity still selling well. Digital was a major part of Ubisoft’s success for the quarter, jumping from 23.2 percent of total sales in last year’s first quarter to 56 percent this year.
The company is in the process of loading its gun for the fall, with few releases planned in the near-term. The July through September period will only see three releases: Might & Magic Heroes VII on PC, Rabbids Appisodes on iOS and Android, and Toy Soldiers War Chest on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Ubisoft’s fall includes Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Just Dance, and Rainbow Six: Siege, Anno 2205, and Trackmania Turbo. We’ll have more from the upcoming earnings call this afternoon.
Our Take
Ubisoft still needs to ensure that The Division lands in this fiscal year and has a clean launch. Consumers are wary after Assassin’s Creed Unity, which means this year needs to be one of rebuilding trust with fans.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
