Ubisoft may be one of the biggest video game publishers out there, but that doesn’t make the company immune to poor fiscal quarters. The French corporation today reported earnings for its first quarter which ended June 30, and unfortunately, they’re not too pretty. Overall sales slid 42.2 percent to €76 million ($99 million), while during the same period last year, Ubisoft reported €131 million ($171 million) in sales.
The 2012 success was mainly due the release of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, which is a major release that 2013 lacked. However, back-catalog sales were up significantly, seeing a 56 percent increase to €60 million ($78 million). Ubisoft pointed to the "solid performance" by Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed III, Just Dance 4, Rocksmith, and Rayman Origins when discussing the cause of this bump. Digital sales saw a 27 percent increase, likely due to the surprising success of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger.
"Ubisoft's teams once again performed remarkably well at this year's E3 in a very competitive and dynamic environment,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said in the report. “The event was an opportunity to fully confirm the potential of the next-generation consoles whose launch in late 2013 is synonymous with a new growth phase for Ubisoft and the industry as a whole."
With Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Rayman Legends on tap for the second quarter, expect Ubisoft to bounce back in a big way – especially with Legends now releasing on every platform under the sun.
