Ubisoft Reports Significant Growth, Next-Gen Plans

In a recent statement, Ubisoft has reflected on its earnings in 2012, while announcing some of their ambitions for the next-gen console wave.

During the 2013 fiscal year, April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013, Ubisoft has reported that revenue was up by 18% to roughly $1.614 billion. Additionally, profits rose by about $1.17 billion.

"The expertise and talent of our teams enabled Ubisoft to manage the year's difficult market conditions and the drop in the casual segment remarkably well," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated.

He added that the surprise success of Far Cry 3 was one of the core titles responsible for their comeback in the FPS market.

"In addition, the success of Far Cry 3 confirmed our strong comeback in the major segment of shooter games. We began fiscal 2012-13 with two major franchises: Assassin's Creed and Just Dance. Twelve months later, we have substantially extended our reach by establishing Far Cry as another major franchise, building upon the great potential for our newest brand, Watch Dogs, and making our online/digital segment an increasingly significant part of our business," he remarked.

"The steady rise in our operating and financial performance during the last three years is the direct result of the long-term investments we have made, with the continued development of our creative capacity and the bolstering of our expertise in online activities," he concluded.

In terms of next-gen releases, Guillemot stated that they are "extremely excited by the new experiences [the new consoles] will provide to gamers."

Before the end of fiscal 2014, Ubisoft plans to announce at least two new AAA games.

"A new console cycle is beginning and it will offer players an unrivalled experience," Guillemot states. "They will see a major leap in quality with an extraordinary level of immersion as well as the incorporation of all of the innovations developed in recent years in online and social games, giving players the opportunity to create their own experiences and share them within their communities."

"In order to reap the full benefit of the strong growth expected from the launch of these new consoles, we are integrating into our next blockbusters all of the expertise we have built up over recent years through our online games such as Settlers Online, Trackmania, Howrse and Trials Evolution, as well as our online services platform Uplay which offers us a strategic link with players," he concludes.

"Our experience in connected gaming, the quality of our brands and our ability to regularly release major titles, will be vital strengths for capturing new market share and will serve as key growth drivers for the coming years."