14 DAY TRIAL // Ubisoft reports having registered better than expected results in the second quarter of 2008, mainly as Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway did well and because it owns the distribution rights of Soulcalibur IV in Europe.
Sales increased more than 31% over the last year, going up to 344 million Euros when the whole year is taken into account. For the quarter, sales rose by 37.3%. Yves Guillemot, the Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft, said that the weak position of the dollar over the Euro was to blame for the company not getting even better results.
Guillemot stated that “Video games are a key growth driver for retailer business... continue to provide more and more support to serve space to the sector” but he warned that “The consequences of the economic slowdown must not be underestimated”.
The company is also expecting to see strong sales as Christmas approaches. It is getting ready to launch games like Far Cry 2, the new re-imagined Prince of Persia and Tom Clancy's EndWar. There are also a lot of casual games which the French publisher is ready to pour on the world. The company wants to end the fiscal year with sales of at least 1.050 billion Euros.
The CEO added that the company is interested in buying up some assets, especially in Asia, where a few opportunities (not named) seem to be presenting themselves. Ubisoft will not lend money for the acquisitions and would not offer further details.
Far Cry 2 has just been released for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the PC. We're currently playing the game, so expect our impressions soon. At first look, the game appears to be one of the most interesting experiences of the season, with satisfying gameplay and a deep story.