Ubisoft has released its earnings report for the first half of 2017-2018 today, and judging from the information received, the company started off the year on a huge high note and seems to be in for another strong finish.
According to the earnings report, their targets for the first half of the year have been exceeded, and a strong increase in sales seems to be the (obvious) reason why. First half sales were up 65.7% which equated to about €466.2 million. Second quarter sales finished at €264.2 million versus a target of only €190.0 million. Most of the growth in sales, according to Ubisoft, is attributed to the success of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, and For Honor.
Ubisoft also reported that digital revenue was up 69.1% to start the year, earning the company €342.6 million. According to the company, a sharp rise in Player Recurring Investment (sales on digital items, DLC, season passes, etc etc) was up a whopping 82.9% and brought in €174.5 million. Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Yves Guillmeot released a statement on the earnings, and was very pleased with how they turned out:
“We continue to offer players outstanding game experiences with unrivalled variety – ranging from Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle to Assassin’s Creed Origins, and including South Park: The Fractured but Whole. In addition to these new releases, players are engaging with a large amount of additional high-quality content which provides them with longer-term entertainment. This includes Blood Orchid, the recent major update to Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and Ghost War, the highly-acclaimed PvP mode for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. And it doesn’t stop there: in the coming weeks we will notably release Resistance, a massive free update to Tom Clancy’s The Division, and South Park: Phone Destroyer, a free-to-play mobile game. Our commitment to providing high-quality game experiences and supporting them for the long term is driven by the importance we place on our player communities. This winning content strategy drove a 66% surge in our sales for the first half of 2017-18 – largely exceeding our targets – as well as a sharp increase in our earnings.”
All in all, it seems like it was a good start to the year for Ubisoft, and with sales still coming in from titles like Assassin’s Creed Origins and their holiday lineup, it seems like the year will end on a high note for the company.
