Ubisoft to deliver 'best software line-up in history'

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has stated that he expects the publisher to benefit from the best software line-up in the history of the company, thanks to new brands such as Haze, the recently announced EndGame and anticipated action title Assassin's Creed.

The comments come after the publisher revealed its fourth quarter sales for 2006-07 rose over 37 per cent from EUR 144 million to EUR 197 million. Full year sales for 2006/2007 were up just under 25 per cent to EUR 680 million.

"In 2007-08, Ubisoft will have the best line-up in its history with the launch of seven franchises including Brothers in Arms and Splinter Cell; six new brands, including Assassin's Creed, EndWar and Haze; and four licensed games, including Surf's Up, Lost and Naruto," commented Guillemot.

After success with titles for the recently launched Nintendo Wii, and the company's first serious entry into the casual market, the publisher intends to pursue an aggressive growth strategy.

"We intend to reap the full benefits of the ramp-up of new generation consoles and grow, again this year, our presence in the casual market on Wii and Nintendo DS systems," said Guillemot.

"Ubisoft should continue to win market share and significantly boost its profitability in 2007-08."

Confident of its software line-up, Ubisoft has raised sales targets for 2007-08 to EUR 800 million, compared with the previous forecast of 750 million.

The publisher expects the first quarter of 2007-08 to account for a large proportion of sales, driven by movie tie-in Surf's Up, eight new Wii and DS titles and the PS3 release of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas.

The company hopes to see further success in building strong franchises and exploiting established IP, as well as ramping up its use of external development studios.

Highlights from the last fiscal year include 1.1 million units sold for TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1 million copies of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, 1.7 million units of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas and 950,000 copies of Wii title Red Steel.

"Our investment in games for the Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS systems has paid off and we have successfully broken into the casual games segment with the Petz series of games," added Guillemot.

"Above and beyond the recognised quality of our internal development studios, this year has confirmed the increasingly important role of our publishing and third-party development divisions."