motoskull
just pulled this from the wall street journel now you know why UBI may not support the pc version!! because of numbers like this they could care less bout PC! ! ! !
X360, Wii Drive Ubisoft Sales Up 24%
It was a happy holiday for publisher Ubisoft. Thanks in part to strong Xbox 360 and Wii game performances, the company's third-quarter sales rose 24 percent year-on-year. The company is also expecting a strong fourth quarter and has raised its full-year guidance.
French video game publisher Ubisoft today announced its fiscal results for the holiday period/third quarter ended December 31, 2006. Sales outstripped targets, growing 24 percent to 311 million euros (about $405 million). When Ubisoft originally released its first-half earnings results, the company had been anticipating Q3 sales of 280 million euros.
The publisher said it was able to beat its revenue guidance because of "superior performance" fueled by a 16 million euro contribution from Q3 releases such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent and Red Steel, a 6 million euro contribution from first-half releases such as Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Dogz, Kingdom Hearts, and OverG Fighters, and a 7 million euro contribution from back-catalog titles.
Sales of Wii and Xbox 360 games in particular were key during the holiday period, as "new-generation" consoles represented 63 percent of Ubisoft's third-quarter total. Xbox 360 led the way, accounting for 28 percent of sales (compared with 5 percent during the same period last year). Ubisoft said it was ranked the No.2 independent publisher on the Xbox 360 in Europe and in the U.S., with market shares of 14.6 percent and 13.4 percent respectively. Although Wii sales accounted for slightly less than 360 (21 percent), Ubisoft took a leadership position as the No.1 independent publisher on the Wii in Europe and in the U.S. with market shares of 29.2 percent and 18 percent respectively. The publisher also fared a bit better with the Nintendo DS, as games for Nintendo's handheld accounted for 9 percent of Ubisoft's Q3 sales (compared with 5 percent a year ago).
Additionally, Ubisoft in recent years has made it a priority to focus on strong brands, and the company pointed out that its three brands launched in 2006-07"”Red Steel (Wii), Dark Messiah Might and Magic (PC) and Heroes of Might and Magic (PC)"”have now sold a combined 1.9 million units.
Sales for the first nine months of the fiscal year totaled 483 million euros (about $629 million), an increase of 20 percent. Overall, in calendar 2006 Ubisoft was the number two independent publisher in Europe and number five in the United States.
"The very positive trend identified in October and November continued into December," commented Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft. "We saw excellent sales for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas - which ranked as the third best-seller in December for the Xbox 360 system in the United States - as well as sustained success for Red Steel and Rayman, which have ranked number two and three in sales for the Wii in the United States and Europe since the console was launched. In 2006, Ubisoft moved into the position of second-leading independent publisher in Europe and gained further market share in the United States, with a 26% growth over the year."
Looking ahead, Ubisoft expects continued success in the fourth quarter with Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (360, PSP, PC), a game based on the animated movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent and Rainbow Six Vegas for PS3, and four new Wii games. Ubisoft is anticipating Q4 sales of at least 152 million euros (which would be up from last Q4's 144 million euros). The publisher noted that Haze and three additional Wii games, which were originally slated for a Q4 release, have now been pushed out to a fiscal 2007-08 release.
Encouraged by its strong Q3 results, Ubisoft has raised its fiscal 2006-07 guidance to include the additional 31 million euros. Full-year sales growth is now expected to be up at least 16 percent as compared with the previous forecast of 10 to 12 percent. The company also slightly raised its target for current operating income before stock options, which is now likely to represent around 4 percent of sales, compared with the formerly-announced range of between 3 and 4 percent.
As for the upcoming 2007-08 fiscal year, Ubisoft is maintaining its sales growth target of 25 percent, which would result in sales of 750 million to 766 million euros; the company is also maintaining its objective for current operating income before stock options to represent at least 8 percent of sales.
In related news, Ubisoft announced today that to strengthen the company's equity position, it's planned early redemption of its 2008 bonds with redeemable warrants (OBSAR); if all of the warrants are converted into shares, Ubisoft's equity would be strengthened by 55 million euros.
"2007 will be the year of new-generation consoles, with the ramp-up of the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 systems. We will also see new consumers - particularly women - entering the market, drawn by the remarkable success of the Wii and the Nintendo DS," added Guillemot. "In 2007-08, Ubisoft will apply all of its expertise in order to leverage this full scope of opportunities, and thereby step up growth and considerably improve profitability. At the same time, as a result of the redemption of the OBSAR bonds announced today, Ubisoft will benefit from greater investment and value creation capacities."
NOW MY WORDS FOR THIS ,,IS WITH FUNDS LIKE THIS UBI HAS NO EXCUSSES,,,i read in some ones thread that pc is very costly umm thier making money hand over fist ........
so NOW I SAY HOW ABOUT PC UBI ! !!
Reply With Quote
Mysticaly
