Ubisoft and its 20,000 employees are struggling to reach economical levels when American powerhouses (Actvision Blizzard, Electronic Arts) go from strength to strength and Japanese giants (Capcom, Bandai Namco) exceed all expectations. This was reflected in a decline in performance, with turnover remaining above 2 billion euros but down 5%, while operating profit fell 17% to 241.5 million euros. Even more disappointing, the net profit was 79.5 million euros, putting Ubisoft at a disadvantage among the major publishers in the industry.
Ubisoft results
period | turnover | operating profit | net income |
---|---|---|---|
April 2020 – March 2021 | 2.2 billion euros | 289.4 million euros | 105.2 million euros |
April 2021 – March 2022 | 2.1 billion euros | 241.5 million euros | 79.5 million euros |
Ubisoft is still able to rely on its three biggest brands, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six. For the first time, the three licenses generated more than EUR 300 million in revenue in the same financial year. Driven by more massive additional content, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is more successful than ever and has been able to mobilize more players than it was released in the fiscal year. Far Cry 6 will also sign “Best performance in brand history“, don’t know what to base it on. If Ubisoft is being cautious about Rainbow Six’s performance, the game’s launch will add to Unbreakable Rainbow Six Siege.
In an increasingly competitive industry for talent acquisition, Ubisoft took the time to brag about its appeal. CEO Yves Guillemot made a statistic broadly: 600 former employees who left Ubisoft were rehired in the past 12 months. Say “like any other”we changed“Following various cases of harassment, discrimination and other sexual abuse.”Actions we have implemented
Efforts to retain talent are starting to pay off”, Ubisoft added, no doubt referring to such measures.
So, of course, the slogan is the same everywhere: diversity and inclusion. “Women now make up 25% of our workforce and have made up one-third of our workforce in the past 12 months. Additionally, we have strong female representation in our leadership, with 42% women on the executive committee and 45% women on the board.“, can we read? There is a clearly visible female representation in the new composition of the executive committee, which the curious can consult in this separate press release.
For now, Ubisoft is stagnant, but the new fiscal year shows some promise. Between October 2022 and March 2023, Ubisoft plans to release at least three major titles: Mario + Rabbit Hope, Skull and Bones, and especially Pandora’s Avatar Frontier, which will coincide with the highly anticipated film return Issuing franchises. There will also be a focus on free versions with known licenses to appeal to a wider audience. Unless there is such a reaction from the public in question. As with most large publishers, the expansion of mobile flagship licenses is part of the growth opportunity. “We have ambitious plans to grow our largest franchise, including four promising mobile games in development, and expand our portfolio with new brands and strong licensed entertainment brands“Can we read?
Also know:
- Sadly, Ubisoft no longer communicates turnover details for each platform as it is the only one to do so. These consoles are now all consolidated and account for 60% of revenue for the entire fiscal year. They fell 5% in favor of PC (26% instead of 23%) and mobile (9% instead of 8%) growth. Other revenue streams, such as derivatives, make up the rest of Camembert with 5% of turnover.
- 78% of Ubisoft’s revenue is digital, and 38% is what Ubisoft calls recurring player investment (spending on extra content and microtransactions in games). In both cases, these statistics are on the rise.
The current state of the takeover issue
While fashion is what makes Ubisoft one of the most prominent acquisition targets on the market, Yves Guillemot’s stance hasn’t changed since last time. LeBrittany got the perfect response from Normand, declaring his desire for independence, but never closing the door on offers, as he did in the Vivendi soap opera era.
“Our overall position is clear and well known. As we said last February, we have everything we need to remain independent. We have the talent, industrial and financial scale, and a large and strong license portfolio to create tremendous value in the years ahead. Current speculation highlights the true attractiveness and value of our assets and our potential to create value. As mentioned earlier, as a public company, our board is accustomed to considering any offer that is in the interest of all shareholders and our talented team.“
- Also read | Ubisoft faces fresh takeover speculation