Ubisoft records EUR 508m sales for Q3
Shaun White, Rayman and Far Cry help French publisher beat expectations
Ubisoft has recorded third quarter sales of EUR 508 million, compared to the EUR 405 million recorded for the same period last year.
For the first nine months of the fiscal year, sales totalled EUR 852 million, up from the EUR 711 million in the corresponding prior year period.
The company's new IP, Shaun White Snowboarding, has recorded sell-in of 2.3 million units and became the number two sports game in the US, according to Ubisoft.
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party generated sell-in of 1.5 million units, and Far Cry 2 sell-in of 2.9 million units.
The company was disappointed with the 2.2 million sell-in of Prince of Persia, and the performance of Tom Clancy's EndWar was also below expectations, said Ubisoft.
"The Christmas period proved to be even more competitive than we expected," offered Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft.
"Against this backdrop, our sales figures demonstrate the strength of Ubisoft's business model which is based on competitive development costs, a varied range of owned brands, constant innovation and a great capacity for responsiveness."
Product for Nintendo consoles accounted for 44 per cent of sales during the period, said Ubisoft.
The company is delaying I Am Alive to give it extra development time, and in a conference call Guillemot also mentioned that this year will see the release of a sequel to Red Steel.
Other titles for the 2009/10 financial year include Assassin's Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Anno and Ghost Recon titles, four license-based games including James Cameron's Avatar and a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, along with three new brands.
Due to extra promotions required for certain games, and a prudent approach at the start of the fiscal fourth quarter, Ubisoft has adjusted its targets for the full year to between EUR 1,040 million and EUR 1060 million.