(Paris) The French video game publisher Ubisoft, penalized by the postponement of several titles, recorded a turnover down 8.2% in the first quarter of its staggered 2023-2024 financial year, to 288.9 million euros (one euro = CA$1.47), he announced on Thursday.
If it is “above” the objective “by around 240 million euros”, the “net bookings” (net reservations, i.e. sales excluding deferred revenue, its benchmark indicator, Editor’s note) is also down 7.7% at constant exchange rates over the period, to 267.7 million euros.
On the other hand, thanks to the many exits planned this year, Ubisoft confirms that it anticipates in 2023-2024 “strong growth” in its net reservations, as well as non-IFRS operating income “of around 400 million euros”.
The most anticipated game of the fiscal year, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, a new installment in the hit series, will be released on October 12, when it was originally scheduled for the end of 2022.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, an adaptation of the James Cameron film universe originally announced for late 2022, and Prince of Persia The Lost Crown are also expected in fiscal year 2023-2024.
Another area of development for Ubisoft in 2023-2024: its “free-to-play” (free with advertising) and mobile games, stimulated by a partnership with Netflix and a mobile license agreement concluded in July 2022 with Level Infinite, a subsidiary of the Chinese giant Tencent.
This agreement, described as “one of the largest publishing contracts ever signed in our industry” by Ubisoft, and estimated at around 370 million euros not including royalties, should lead to Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade, a mobile game combining action, adventure and role-playing in the open world.
“We have not yet communicated on the launch date of this game. We are indeed in the test phase to optimize all the key indicators”, however indicated the financial director of Ubisoft Frédérick Duguet, Thursday during a conference call.
