Digital sales, player engagement are up in latest Ubisoft financial report

Continued multiplayer support of games like The Division and Rainbow Six Siege is setting Ubisoft up for a positive third quarter, according to figures released in the company’s latest earnings report.

Ubisoft concluded the first half of the 2016-2017 fiscal year with €281.4 million (~$ 312.7 million USD) in sales, up 37.7 percent from same period last year. The company credits much of this success of its digital strategies with multiplayer games.

Monthly active users of Ubisoft games are up 43.9 percent year-on-year, contributing to a significant increase in recurring player investment of €95.4 million (~$106 million USD). Digital revenue is up 102.6 percent from the preceding year and represented 72 percent of overall sales. At this same point last year digital only made up 48.3 percent of sales. 

According to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, these numbers reflect the success of the company’s approach to multiplayer games.

“The Crew, The Division and Rainbow Six Siege each have more than 10 million registered players, demonstrating that we are effectively executing our business development plan and moving towards an ever-more recurring model,” said Guillemot. “All of our actions and initiatives are aimed at achieving this objective. We are creating powerful franchises that offer long-term visibility.”

For the third quarter of the fiscal year, Ubisoft expects to see sales in the area of €560 million (~$622.2 million USD) thanks to upcoming games like Watch Dogs 2, Steep, Just Dance 2017, and expansions for The Division, Rainbow Six Siege, and The Crew. 

While Ubisoft seems confident in the numbers reported from the first half of the year, it is also worth noting that, under French accounting law, the company is not required to disclose profits until the end of the fiscal year, meaning Ubisoft’s actual earnings from revenue won’t be revealed until six months from now.