Ubisoft reports Q3 sales of 450 million

Ubisoft has reported Q3 2007-08 sales of EUR 450 million, outstripping previous forecasts and increasing 44 per cent from the prior year.

The company indicated that it moved up to the position of third-leading independent publisher in the US in 2007.

"The vast majority of our games reaped the benefits of particularly strong market momentum over the Christmas period," said CEO Yves Guillemot.

"Two new long term multi-million franchises were created - Assassin's Creed and Imagine - generating sell-in sales of 5 and 2.5 million units respectively."

Ubisoft had raised its Q3 guidance to EUR 410 million in December based upon stronger than expected sales of Assassin's Creed, which was the top-selling game for the PS3 and the second best-selling game for the Xbox 360 in Europe during 2007.

In the US, Assassin's Creed was the second best-selling game for PS3 and the third for the Xbox 360 in 2007.

Its increased guidance was outstripped by actual sales of EUR 450 million (USD 655 million).

The fourth quarter 2007-08 will see the release of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Assassin's Creed (PC and DS) and new casual games for the Nintendo DS and Wii. Haze, originally scheduled for Q4, will now be released in fiscal 2008-09.

Ubisoft has revised its targets upwards in light of the company's Q3 performance.

The 2007-08 sales target is now approximately EUR 875 million, up from the prior forecast of EUR 840 million.

Its 2008-09 sales target was raised to approximately EUR 1 billion, compared with the previously-announced forecast of approximately EUR 975 million, based upon the delay of Haze.

Ubisoft has announced that its 2008-09 line-up will include games in the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Brothers in Arms, Far Cry, Prince of Persia and Anno franchises as well as five new brands - Tom Clancy's EndWar, Haze, a Shaun White snowboard game and a Tom Clancy-branded air combat game.