After Square Enix or Activision Blizzard, it's Ubisoft's turn to tell us about its financial results for the 2019/2020 fiscal year ended March 31.
For the year 2019/2020, the French company declares to have a net turnover in decline of more than 24% for the financial year ended March 31, 2020, for a total result amounting to 1.53 billion d '' instead of 2.02 billion compared to the same period for the year 2018/2019. An annual performance in decline therefore which can be explained by the absence of major outings during the year 2019. Indeed, except for Just Dance 2020, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 or Ghost Recon Breakpoint which received a mixed reception from the players, Ubisoft has not released any major production in recent months, focusing exclusively on development Watch Dogs Legion or Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
However, Ubisoft claims to have achieved a fourth fiscal quarter exceeding the expectations set by the company. Indeed, net sales for this last quarter, even if still below the results obtained in the 2018/2019 financial year, amounted to 417 million euros.
As expected, the financial results for the year are far below our initial expectations. However, we should note our excellent performance in the fourth quarter. If the containment led to a strong increase in the engagement of players at the global level from mid-March, we have already been operating, since the beginning of the quarter, on trends above our expectations thanks to the remarkable execution of our teams. The intense activity around our games, both in terms of Live content and eSports event, combined with very effective acquisition strategies, have indeed enabled several of our titles to achieve remarkable success. This is the case with Rainbow Six Siege, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, The Division 2 and Just Dance 2020. Frédérick Duguet, Chief Financial Officer of Ubisoft
Ubisoft takes advantage of this financial statement to reveal the good health of its service games, starting with Rainbow Six Siege which now has more than 60 million registered players, with a record commitment established in recent months, in January, February and March. The success of Rainbow Six Siege is mainly due to the eSports competitions. Indeed, according to, The Esports Observer, Ubisoft's tactical FPS ranks fourth among the most influential PC games in the gaming industry. Daily engagement is also up 90% for Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and sales of Just Dance 2020 were more than doubled in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019/2020 with an increase in net bookings of 156%.
Obviously, Ubisoft and more particularly Yves Guillemot, the general manager of the French brand, have returned to the current health crisis. Like Activision Blizzard and many other publishers, Ubisoft has taken many precautions during this pandemic period to protect all employees of the company.
In this unprecedented period, our priority has been to ensure the safety and well-being of our teams around the world. With great courage and commitment, they have shown incredible adaptability and professionalism, which I would like to salute. Supported by the remote working tools that we have put in place, they have been able to continue to offer players exceptional games and services so that they can get away, explore and have fun with their families and friends. and their communities. Our mission is to enrich the lives of players through memorable gaming experiences and this mission is more important than ever. Yves Guillemot, General Manager of Ubisoft
But despite this latest bleak news, Ubisoft looks confident for the coming year and more particularly for the first quarter of 2020/2021. Indeed, the publisher expects a net turnover of around 335 million euros, almost 20 million euros more compared to the first quarter of the year 2019/2020 . For the global financial year of 2020/2021, the company expects to reach a net turnover of between 2.35 and 2.65 billion euros thanks to the arrival of major productions like Watch Dogs Legion, Gods & Monsters, Rainbow Six Quarantine and of course Assassin’s Creed Valhalla which, as we recall, is expected for the end of 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
Our initial objectives for 2020/2021 remain fully attainable in the light of our excellent current momentum with in particular a back-catalog, a digital segment, a stronger PRI than initially anticipated and a line-up which is the most ambitious of industry over the period. Yves Guillemot, General Manager of Ubisoft
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