Ubisoft's Q3 results

Third quarter sales up 13%.

News by GamesIndustry.biz Contributor

Published on Jan. 22, 2009

* Third-quarter sales up 13% to €508 million.

Update on the games release schedule. Full-year 2008-09 targets adjusted. Initial targets for 2009-10.

London, UK - January 22, 2009 – Today, Ubisoft reported its sales for the third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Sales

Sales for the third quarter of 2008-09 came to €508 million, up 12.9%, or 17.0% at constant exchange rates, compared with the €450 million recorded for the same period of 2007-08. For the first nine months of fiscal 2008-09 sales totaled €852 million versus €711 million in the corresponding prior-year period, representing an increase of 19.8%, or 24.8% at constant exchange rates.

Third-quarter sales came in slightly higher than the guidance of approximately €500 million issued when Ubisoft released its sales figures for the second quarter of 2008-09. This performance was primarily attributable to:

The diversity and quality of Ubisoft’s games line-up for the holiday period, with a targeted offering for each type of consumer. A solid showing from franchise titles launched during the quarter, particularly Far Cry® 2 and Rayman Raving Rabbids® TV Party which generated sell-in sales of 2.9 million and 1.5 million units respectively and offset the impact of a slower take-off for Prince of Persia® (2.2 million units). The creation of a new multi-million units selling franchise – Shaun White Snowboarding – which was the quarter’s number two sports game in the United States and recorded 2.3 million units sell-in worldwide. The ongoing success of the Group’s casual games, notably the very robust performance turned in by the Imagine® range fueled by the success of Imagine Teacher and Imagine Wedding Designer. For 2008, Ubisoft’s market share for Nintendo DSTM games is 13.5% in Europe and 12,0% in the United States.

Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer, stated: "The Christmas period proved to be even more competitive than we expected. 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. We posted strong growth on the Nintendo consoles which accounted for 44% of our sales, with two particularly successful titles for the Wii – Shaun White Snowboarding and Rayman Raving Rabbids® TV Party. However, as some of our games did not meet the required quality levels to achieve their full potential they need more sales promotions than anticipated. We have adjusted our targets for full-year 2008-09 in order to take into account both these additional promotions and the need for a prudent approach as we start the fourth fiscal quarter."

Outlook

Fourth-quarter 2008-09 sales

The fourth quarter of the fiscal year will see the following main releases:

Tom Clancy’s HawxTM for the Xbox 360™, PC and PLAYSTATION®3 Tom Clancy's EndWar® for PC Grey's Anatomy: The Video Game for the Nintendo DS™, Wii™ and PC New casual games for the Nintendo DS™ and Wii™, including Imagine, Petz® and Jake Power™ titles.

As expected, sales for the fourth quarter of 2008-09 should come in at between €190 million and €210 million, representing a decrease of between 12% and 3% compared with the equivalent period of 2007-08.

Update on the games release schedule

“I Am AliveTM” will require further development time and will now bolster the line-up for 2009-10.

Adjustment of full-year 2008-09 targets

In order to take into account the extra sales promotions required for certain games and the need for a prudent approach at the start of the fourth fiscal quarter, Ubisoft has adjusted its targets for full-year 2008-09. The Company now expects to report sales of between €1,040 million and €1,060 million, compared with its previous guidance of approximately €1,050 million. The target for current operating income before stock-based compensation is now between 12% and 13% of sales, versus the previous forecast of at least 13%.

Initial targets for 2009-10

Yves Guillemot continued: "2009-10 looks very promising and our teams are working flat-out to provide gamers with the best the industry has to offer. Our line-up comprises several potential blockbusters with the launch of 7 franchises, including Assassin’s Creed®, Splinter Cell® and Ghost Recon®, as well as 4 license-based games including James Cameron’s Avatar, 3 new brands and a further-enhanced casual games portfolio. Although we have to be cautious in light of the current economic environment, we expect Ubisoft to once again be one of the most dynamic and profitable publishers in the games industry in 2009.”

Ubisoft’s initial sales target for 2009-10 is approximately €1,100 million and it expects current operating income before stock-based compensation to represent at least 11% of sales. These estimates take into account the following:

Market growth of between 5% and 10% in 2009, on the back of the strong rise in the installed base of new-generation consoles in 2008. An increase in gross profit reflecting the launch of a greater number of high-margin titles. A rise in R&D costs due to a product mix geared more toward higher-investment games. Gains on marketing expenses due to a product mix geared more toward blockbusters and less casual.

These forecasts have been drawn up taking into account the launch of i) 7 franchise titles, including Assassin’s Creed 2, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell ConvictionTM, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon and Anno®; ii) 3 new brands including I Am Alive; iii) 4 movie license-based games including James Cameron’s Avatar, a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game and the sequel to Arthur and the Invisibles; and iv) an enriched casual games portfolio which will be focused on the successful Petz, Imagine, My Coach and PlayZoneTM series.

Recent highlights

Market share: In calendar 2008 Ubisoft was the number 4 independent publisher in the United States with 5,4% market share (compared with number 3 and 6,1% one year earlier); number 3 in Europe with 8.1% market share (compared with number 2 and 8.7%); number 3 in France with 8.1% market share (compared with number 2 and 9.2%); number 3 in the United Kingdom with 8.3% market share (compared with number 2 and 9.1%); and number 3 in Germany with 7.7% market share (compared with number 2 and 7.6%).

Acquisition of Southlogic Studios in Brazil: Established in 1996 in Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul), Southlogic’s team of around 20 developers has created titles for PC, handheld and home consoles and provided art outsourcing and porting services. The studio has worked for various European, Japanese and American publishers and recently developed Imagine™: Wedding Designer on the Nintendo DS™ for Ubisoft.

Financial calendar

Release Date

Fourth-quarter 2008-09 sales April 23, 2009

This date is subject to change and will be confirmed at a later stage.

Contact

Investor Relations

Jean-Benoît Roquette

Head of Investor Relations

+ 33 1 48 18 52 39

Jean-benoit.roquette@ubisoft.com

Disclaimer

This statement may contain estimated financial data, information on future projects and transactions and future business results/performance. Such forward-looking data are provided for estimation purposes only. They are subject to market risks and uncertainties and may vary significantly compared with the actual results that will be published. The estimated financial data have been presented to the Board of Directors and have not been audited by the Statutory Auditors. (Additional information is specified in the most recent Ubisoft Registration Document filed on July 25, 2008 with the French Financial Markets Authority (l'Autorité des marchés financiers)).

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft is present in 28 countries and has sales in 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007-08 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €928 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2008 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Play Zone, Imagine, Petz, Planet Rescue, I AM ALIVE, Rayman, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Far Cry, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell Conviction, Ghost Recon, Endwar, H.A.W.X, , Ubisoft, ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Based on Crytek’s original Far Cry directed by Cevat Yerli. Persia® created by Jordan Mechner. Prince of Persia is a trademark of Jordan Mechner in the U.S. and/or other countries used under license by Ubisoft Entertainment. Grey’s Anatomy under license by © ABC Studios.

APPENDICES

Breakdown of sales by geographic region

% sales % sales % sales % sales

Q3 2008/09 Q3 2007/08 9 months 2008/09 9 months 2007/08

Europe 55% 53% 57% 53%

North America 40% 41% 37% 41%

Rest of world 5% 6% 6% 7%

TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100%

Breakdown of sales by platform

Q3 2008/09 Q3 2007/08 9 months 2008/09 9 months 2007/08

Nintendo DS™ 26% 28% 31% 24%

GBA 0% 1% 0% 2%

PC 7% 6% 8% 8%

PlayStation®2 1% 4% 1% 6%

PLAYSTATION®3 22% 19% 21% 19%

PSP™ 2% 2% 2% 5%

Wii™ 18% 11% 15% 11%

XBOX 360™ 24% 30% 20% 25%

TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100%

Breakdown of sales by business line

Q3 2008/09 Q3 2007/08 9 months 2008/09 9 months 2007/08

Development 89% 91% 83% 86%

Publishing 6% 8% 9% 12%

Distribution 5% 2% 8% 3%

TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100%

Worldwide Games Release Schedule

Fourth quarter (January – March 2009)

BROKEN SWORD Wii™, Nintendo DS™

CHRONO TRIGGER (AUSTRALIA – DENMARK) Nintendo DS™

CSI: NEW YORK (EUROPE) PC

DISGAEA 3 ABSENCE OF JUSTICE

(AUSTRALIA –NORDICS - FRANCE)

PlayStation®3

DRAGONQUEST® HAND OF THE HEAVENLY BRIDE

(AUSTRALIA – NORDICS - BENELUX - FRANCE)

Nintendo DS™

FASHION STUDIO: PARIS COLLECTION Nintendo DS™

GREY’S ANATOMY: THE VIDEO GAME Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PC

IMAGINE® BALLET DANCER (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

IMAGINE® CHEERLEADER (US) Nintendo DS™

IMAGINE® FAMILY DOCTOR Nintendo DS™

IMAGINE® FASHION PARTY Wii™

IMAGINE® ICE CHAMPIONS Nintendo DS™

IMAGINE® MOVIE STAR (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

IMAGINE® POP SUPERSTAR (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

JAKE POWER ™: SOCCER STAR (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

JAKE POWER ™: FIREMAN (US) Nintendo DS™

JAKE POWER ™: HANDYMAN (US) Nintendo DS™

JAKE POWER ™: POLICEMAN (US) Nintendo DS™

JOJO’S FASHION SHOW ™ Nintendo DS™

LAST REMNANT (AUSTRALIA – NORDICS) PC

MONKEY MADNESS (EUROPE) Wii™

MY ENGLISH COACH™ LEVEL 1 Nintendo DS™

MY FITNESS COACH (AUSTRALIA – UK) Wii™

PETZ ® MY BABY PANDA (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

PETZ ® HORSESHOE RANCH Nintendo DS™

PETZ ® MY KITTY FAMILY (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

PETZ ® MY MONKEY FAMILY (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

PETSHOP STORY (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

RHAPSODY: A MUSICAL ADVENTURE (AUSTRALIA – NORDICS) Nintendo DS™

SCRABBLE® 2009 (UK – FRANCE - AUSTRALIA) Nintendo DS™

STAR OCEAN: SECOND EVOLUTION (EUROPE) PSP™

TENCHU: SHADOW ASSASSINS Wii™

TENCHU: SHADOW ASSASSINS (US) PSP™

TOM CLANCY’S ENDWAR™ PC

TOM CLANCY’S H.A.W.X™ PlayStation®3,

Xbox 360™, PC

TOTALLY SPIES AGENDA (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

VACATION SPORTS Wii™

WORD ACADEMY (EUROPE) Nintendo DS™

WORLD IN CONFLICT®: SOVIET ASSAULT PC

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