Ubisoft Reports “Solid Performance” In Q3 Results, Assassin's Creed Odyssey Still Bringing In Players

Published: February 15, 2019 11:21 AM /

By:


ubisoft-icon

Ubisoft's Q3 reports are in, and they’re “solid,” according to CEO Yves Guillemot.

In this year's Q3 earnings call, the company reported €605.8 million ($684.3 million) in net bookings, down 16.4% from the previous year, but beating out a target of €600 million ($678 million). Sales for the same period reached €562 million ($635 million), hitting a little under the target of €580 million ($654 million). However, this is largely thanks to a “later clarification” of the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 15 rules, which came to be in January of last year, reports Gamesindustry.biz. However, PC net bookings are up 58.1% with the mobile counterpart rising 77.6% for the first nine months of the fiscal year.

Interestingly, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey saw a “strong increase in player engagement,” proving that single-player Games-as-a-Service has a place in an industry full of multiplayer games and can be implemented in a way that isn't taking advantage of players. Concerning the online front, Rainbow Six: Siege saw a 205% increase in esports viewership last year, with the Tom Clancy games as a whole reaching 70 million unique players. Finally, Far Cry 5 ranked 4th in the top 10 best-sellers of the year, with Odyssey reaching 10th.

In Yves Guillemot’s full statement, he praises the quality of the company’s recent releases:

"Ubisoft delivered a solid performance in a quarter when, as expected, competition was particularly fierce. Our remarkable resilience was underpinned by the high quality of our games and services, our ability to reach a much wider audience than before – on more platforms and in more geographic regions – and the benefits gained from our digital transformation.”

Guillemot goes on, claiming that The Division 2 and Far Cry: New Dawn will push the company into record-breaking numbers for both Q4 and the entire fiscal year.

 

The Division Tunnel
Hopefully, The Division 2 will launch in a better state than the first game.

 

Regarding projections, Ubisoft claims it will hit €571 million ($645 million) in sales for Q4, with €698 million ($788 million) in net bookings. Games releasing during Q4 include Far Cry: New Dawn, The Division 2, Trials Rising, and Assassin’s Creed 3 Remastered. Titles such as For Honor, Steep, Siege, Ghost Recon Wildlands, and Odyssey will all receive DLC during this period, further pushing numbers.

Also, Ubisoft makes note of their partnership with Epic games in releasing The Division 2 for PC on the Fortnite creator's storefront, as well as uPlay. Yves noted that this was an opportunity to support a partner at better rates then they get elsewhere, while also growing the reach of the uPlay storefront. According to him, The Division 2's pre-order sales on uPlay are six times that of the first game on their storefront. This marks yet another title launching on the new platform, with Metro Exodus being the most recent.

While praising Ubisoft’s “ability to adapt to and profit from new market trends,” he also pointed out some new opportunities for the company:

“Other key opportunities also will carry the industry forward in the coming years, including the opening up of the Asian market and the growth of esports as well as streaming and artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, Ubisoft is building its organizational structure for the long term. Leveraging the ownership of our IPs and studios, we are striving to provide a fulfilling working environment so that our talented people can realize their full potential and to deliver players beneficial experiences that go beyond pure entertainment. Therefore, we are confident in our ability to continue to grow and increase our profitability over the coming years."

Overall, it’s nice to see Ubisoft performing well. Service-based games are definitely their biggest foundation, but this isn’t the first time the company has expressed interest in emerging technologies. We’ll have to see if Ubisoft will be the one to take advantage of such ideas.

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Max Moeller
| Content Writer

Blockchain, cryptocurrency, and gaming journalist. Feels most at home with a controller and something to learn about. Likes emerging things.

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Developer
Ubisoft
Publisher
Ubisoft
Release Date
October 5, 2018 (Calendar)
Purchase (Some links may be affiliated)